8 die in Kagoshima hospital after infection with drug-resistant bacteria

That's a lot of people dying from an infection caught in a hospital! And from the story not just one hospital.

I'm sure the extremely hot temps they keep hospitals at here has something to do with this ....

Not cleaning the equipment properly or reusing single use only items to save money.

I have always assumed that Japanese are very thoroughl in their cleaning. They are for 90% IMO, just never look up at the air vents.

'The hospital apologized to the patients' families over their deaths,'

Fukuoka Uni Hospital & Kagoshima Hospital. I do hope some sort of financial compensation was included in this apology. Nothing says thank more for cutting short someones life who obviously suffering already with nice big fat Ginko furikomi in Japan. Do you job right and it clean. No we have to worry about hospitals admission and long stays? Terrible people who were sick already had to pass on cause of this.

When you are hospitalized, you have to think that your life is no more your life.

So, go to hospital and don’t come out?

Simple!

I’m keeping away from hospitals then......

Japan has one of the highest fatality rates for hospital infections in the world and that is with official numbers velieved to be underestimated. Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) deaths are common in Japan especially in post operation care. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics is caused by

"[f]inancial incentives linked to the pharmaceutical reimbursement system and physician-industry interactions strongly influence antibiotic prescribing and increase AMR [antimicrobial resistance] in Japan."(22) This situation is made worse by the fact that younger Japanese doctors are often subservient underlings to older doctors who have a long history of unhealthy business relationships with drug companies. By the example of their seniors, junior doctors continue unwise drug administration practices developed in less enlightened times. Considering that drug company representatives have easy access to junior doctors and can provide doctors with food, alcohol and other perks, it is no surprise that Japan has a history of using expensive broad spectra antibiotics (e.g., cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones) more frequently than in other industrialized countries. *

But this is not the only problem. Poor hygiene and cleanliness in Japanese medical facilities are common, which is mystifying in a country where cleanliness is valued and purification emphasised in religious ceremonies. Hospital rooms for patients often have their doors permanently open and visitor flow is poorly controlled. If you look at details, under beds and in corners dirt is surprisingly common.

Screening and reporting is poor because the concepts of "Hear no evil!" and "Speak no evil!" and "See no evil!" ingrained in Japanese culture appear to hinder MRSA control and freedom of information. Apparently, healthcare workers in Japan well understand the concepts "Don't rock the boat!" and "Let sleeping dogs lie!" and "The nail that sticks up will be hammered down!" Since reporting MRSA can be embarrassing, the situation of Japanese healthcare workers compares to the situation of restaurant chefs who refuse to mention the cockroaches in their kitchens unless somebody else also sees the insects.

Quotes from a study from the University of Tokushima 10 years ago, but things have not much improved and arguably got worse. http://web.ias.tokushima-u.ac.jp/sudachi/MRSA.html