It has been revealed that a nurse at a psychiatric hospital in Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture, assaulted an inpatient, but the hospital did not report it, as required by law.
The incident occurred at Yonan Hospital last October, NHK reported Monday. A male staff member repeatedly urged a female patient to enter her room to prepare for a meal, but when she refused, he pushed her down and grabbed her by the neck.
The patient suffered abrasions to her face and reported the incident to another staff member, but nothing was done about it.
The Mental Health and Welfare Act was revised in April last year, making it mandatory to report abuse, but the hospital did not do so.
In a statement, the hospital said, "We were unsure of our decision and hesitated to report it. We can't help but think that we covered it up."
Meanwhile, the social medical corporation, which runs the hospital, said: "The male staff member resigned, and we felt that he had been punished sufficiently.”
© Japan Today
5 Comments
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Desert Tortoise
Nurse Ratched.
Yubaru
Sadly this happens more than often than not and it's nearly always swept under the rug.
Not mentioned here is just how it was reported to the authorities, which would be nice to know too!
Making excuses and giving the guy an out. Should have been reported to the police and charges filed!
purple_depressed_bacon
What was there to be "unsure" about? The man committed battery, which last I checked was a crime. The hospital is obligated by law to report crimes, is it not?
Typical Japanese bs response. Letting him resign instead of calling the police and outright firing him - they did this to protect their reputation, not to protect the patient and give them justice. The hospital should be shut down because it clearly doesn't give a toss about the health and safety of its patients.
BertieWooster
I wonder how many similar cases are happening. In any case, the whole thing is a sham. The psychiatrists don't have a clue what they are doing. All they can do is administer drugs.
Yubaru
Cases like this actually happen quite a bit, not just in hospitals like this, but others, many times, long term stay facilities, usually those that have elderly patients.
Here, I can share, for a FACT, that you are wrong! While there are bad doctors all over the world, it does not mean that all are "clueless", in fact the overwhelming majority know exactly what they are doing.
If you have problems, you should get a 2nd opinion. If they dont tell you what you want to hear, then odds are they are doing their job right.