Settlement reached in Osaka suit over malpractice involving birth ball

1.3 million yen for a lost baby. This wouldn't even cover the cost of the lawyers during these years of suing them

So the lesson I learn from this story is that medical malpractice basically goes unpunished in Japan.

Not only did this doctor put this poor woman on a balance ball and then leave her, but he also left surgical gauze in her when they had to do an emergency C-section. This doctor should never be allowed to practice again, but with a 1.3 million slap on the wrist, that is no punishment at all! What a joke!

We've got to be very careful with requesting stronger punishment here - Japan has a chronic lack of gynecologists and all are overworked / underpaid. While their intention might have been good, them trying to adapt a procedure meant for birthing on the floor (birthball) to the tiny labour rooms equipped almost exclusively with beds, as normally available in the Japanese OB/GYN hospitals did go wrong. Actually this requires advanced preparation and practice and a suitable environment.

From my experience both the medics and the nurses in birth centres / ladies clinics are so busy that someone giving birth there is expected to suffer alone for most of the labour. They will get a 2-5 minutes visit every 2 hours to measure dilatation and that's it.

From my experience both the medics and the nurses in birth centres / ladies clinics are so busy that someone giving birth there is expected to suffer alone for most of the labour. They will get a 2-5 minutes visit every 2 hours to measure dilatation and that's it.

That's what the husband is there for. While you are in labor, you dont need to have a nurse at your side the entire time. It can take literally hours, and they have other duties and patients as well.

I was there for all three of my children being born, and the nurses and doctor told us ahead of time, dont expect to have someone by your side the whole time.

Oh and what else do you expect?

The standard of care in Japan seems to be lacking thus is it any wonder that women are refusing to give birth in Japan?

I was there for all three of my children being born...

Oh and what else do you expect?

I was also present for the whole duration of the birth of my three children.

I'm not complaining - the care my wife got was actually good - and the nurses took time to teach me how to monitor her progress and how to help her when the pain was getting strong. By the third child I got enough experience to almost be able to help her deliver without assistance - so that was good.

I was just observing that the doctors / nurses are extremely busy and having such a birthball brought into the labour room and expecting the mother to deal with it (possible alone) was too much.

This sounds like a cascading series of errors and negligence by the doctor and staff. Very slapdash.

I'm pretty sure a general hospital in Japan would not use a birthing ball, all mothers will have to give birth in the standard position on the bed regardless of how uncomfortable it may be, so this must be a sanfujinka. Sanfujinka are much more flexible about the birth, including letting the father in, giving birth on the floor, on a sofa etc. but aren't set up to deal with major complications. This one couldn't even do a C section properly.

Seems like a hack hospital all around with the gauze situation on top of everything... but the opening sentence is ambiguous if not misleading; did the boy's death have anything whatsoever to do with the birthing ball incident, or would he have likely dies anyway from unrelated complications?

Exactly my thoughts CaptDingleheimer. It sounds like the (tiny) reached settlement was for the gauze incident and second surgery. I suspect the baby had those issues already and would have passed regards of how the delivery happened.

The ball use was negligence but that baby didn't get cerebral palsy as a result of the accident. That is a genetic condition that pre-existed the negligence.

I was just observing that the doctors / nurses are extremely busy and having such a birthball brought into the labour room and expecting the mother to deal with it (possible alone) was too much.

It really depends on the location, and one can't just generalize that everywhere is the same. The hospitals my children were born at were fully staffed and no problems with care, nothing.

The doctor here is an idiot, and shouldnt be allowed to practice any medicine, well, maybe in jail, for medical malpractice!