"It was discriminatory treatment with no medical grounds, and it violated the
human rights of the plaintiff," Shinbori said.
The woman died in 1997 at the age of 26, and her parents took over the lawsuit
she launched. The woman had also sought damages against Kyonan Hospital in
Kajikazawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, but the court ruled the hospital had not
acted negligently.
According to the ruling, the woman fell from the second story of a bar in
Yamanashi Prefecture in December 1992 after being chased by a man, and suffered
a broken hip.
She was initially sent to Kyonan Hospital, but the hospital transferred her to
Kofu Municipal Hospital. When she arrived, however, the doctor in charge
decided to call off the operation to prevent nurses and patients becoming
worried over HIV infection fears.
After the hospital refused to treat the woman, her lower body was left
paralyzed. She had sought 15.62 million yen in compensation, but the court
lowered the payment to her parents in Thailand to 1 million yen, taking into
consideration wage differences between Japan and Thailand.
Kofu Mayor Masanobu Miyajima said he wanted to talk with the hospital and
discuss a response.
"If there was any negligence, I want to work to make sure the same sort of
thing doesn't happen again," he said.
Copyright 2005, Mainichi Daily, reused with permission
