35-Year-Old Doctor Who Drank 3 Liters of Liquor While on Duty: “Why Drinking for 6 Hours in the Hospital?”

In July of this year, we learned of a case in which a doctor of this hospital drank alcohol in the hospital while on duty and subsequently treated a patient. This is an act that has caused a loss of trust among patients and residents of the prefecture, and we would like to inform you of this incident and offer our sincerest apologies.

On October 4, Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital (Kasama City) posted the following comment on its website and apologized. On the same day, the director of the hospital and the director of the prefectural hospital bureau also held a press conference. The director of the hospital and the director of the prefectural hospital bureau also held a press conference the same day, saying, “This is a loss of trust. I am truly sorry,” they said, bowing deeply.

The hospital was one of three operated by Ibaraki Prefecture since its establishment in 1956, and its reputation was so good that the people of the prefecture were surprised. In the event of a major disaster or an accident with many injuries, the ‘Ibaraki DMAT’ is organized. It is also one of the designated medical institutions for Type 2 Infectious Diseases to deal with avian influenza and tuberculosis. It is a general hospital with more than 30 departments, including gastroenterological surgery and radiation therapy.

This is an unbelievable trouble at a hospital that is trusted by the citizens of the prefecture. The person who consumed alcohol while on duty was a 35-year-old male doctor, Mr. A. The incident took place between July 18 and 19 of this year.

He started drinking in the waiting room of the hospital at around 6:00 p.m. on the 18th. He drank six 500-milliliter cans of beer, three liters in fact. In fact, he drank three liters of beer. His colleague, a male doctor who was on standby at the time of the emergency, was also drinking with him,” said a reporter from the society section of a national newspaper.

Intravenous drip after drinking

What is surprising is Mr. A’s behavior after drinking.

At around 4:30 a.m., Mr. A was called by the hospital ward to insert an intravenous drip needle into a blood vessel of a patient in the hospital while intoxicated. Fortunately, there was no error in the medical procedure and the patient’s condition was not affected.

A nurse who visited the waiting room witnessed Mr. A drinking alcohol, and Mr. A told the nurse to keep it a secret. However, the nurse, taking the situation seriously, reported the incident to the hospital the next day and the misconduct came to light.

Doctors at general hospitals are in a stressful profession where they never know when they will be called upon. Even when they are sleeping, they are called out on call on a daily basis. It is hard to relax. However, that does not mean that it is okay to drink alcohol while on duty. People’s lives are at stake.

Naturally, drinking alcohol on the premises was prohibited at the hospital as well. In response to the hospital’s investigation, he explained, “I drank because the ward was calm and I thought I would not be summoned. This is the first time I have ever drank alcohol in the hospital. It must be said that his awareness as a doctor is too low.

At the Prefectural Central Hospital, a fellow doctor who was drinking with him was given a warning because he was outside of working hours. The hospital director, medical director, and administrative director were given strict warnings.