News that 25 hospitals refused to treat a Japanese man who eventually died because of a total lack of care was trending on March 5.
According to an Asian source, the 75-year-old tried getting into more than two dozen emergency rooms a total of three dozen times in an enclave north of Tokyo. Then, after spending two hours riding around to try to gain access, the man passed away while paramedics were still on the hunt for a medical facility that would help him.
This health care debacle happened to the unnamed male who was said to have lived by himself in a place called Kuki. The man had requested emergency assistance after suffering both breathing and chest problems.
So why did so many hospitals turn down this very sick person?
Several sources say the reason is because of the lack of space in Japanese hospitals as well as a lack of accredited healthcare workers in this highly sophisticated Asian country.
Still, the paramedics in this particular case tried to help the man in distress as their ambulance headed for yet another facility that was 20 minutes away from the last one. Sadly, upon reaching this last resort hospital, the sick person was pronounced dead upon arrival. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
By way of background, Japan suffers from poor health care facilities because of a number of factors. Not only are there more people living longer than ever in Nippon, thus needing more hospital care more often than in the past, but there is also a reduction in birth rates in this country on the other side of the Pacific.
This unbalanced situation as far as the general population is concerned results in a dilemma in which a number of elderly Japanese people can't be helped because of the lack of a large enough work force. There aren't enough qualified people to be able to efficiently and effectively offer the right amount of healthcare to make a difference. There is also a lack of room at the facilities operating as hospitals in this Asian outpost.
With that in mind, the Japanese town in Saitama Prefecture where the debacle transpired in January with 25 hospitals turning a man down after which time he died has Kuki officials allegedly pursuing better hospital treatment and availability in the vicinity.
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