5 cases of hospitals refusing pregnant women reported in Sapporo

Sapporo hospitals refused four pregnant women last year, though the women were taken to them in emergency condition, the city government said Tuesday. None of the women suffered miscarriages, but one in her teens was rejected 11 times and it took her 90 minutes to reach a hospital after calling an ambulance.


A fifth woman, who was pregnant, was also rejected in the reporting year, the local authority said. The announcement came after a pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage last week after nine hospitals refused to admit her and an ambulance carrying her collided with a minivan in Osaka while on its way to yet another hospital. It took her three hours to finally reach the 10th hospital.