Tsukamoto Yasushi
J.B. Dept. Neurosurgery, Kantoh Central Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Med Law. 2005 Dec;24(4):673-81.
In Japan, the number of physicians being investigated on suspicion of medical malpractice has increased. Specifically, the criminal prosecutions arising from professional negligence resulting in bodily injury or death have also increased. Article 21 of the Japanese Physician's Act compels a doctor to notify the district police when he diagnoses a death to be 'unnatural'. Originally this provision was to increase public safety through crime detection, but one recent criminal case broadened the application of this article to include the death from a mishap during medical treatment. This criminal case made a tremendous impact on physicians, as the convictions and sentences forced physicians to notify the police even when it is not certain the patient died of the malady or of the medical misconduct itself. Besides, we wonder if such obligation of doctors to notify such 'unnatural' death from medical mishap may be against a person's privilege against self-incrimination which is assured by Japanese Constitutional Law (article 38).
在日本，因涉嫌医疗事故而接受调查的医生数量有所增加。具体而言，因职业疏忽导致身体伤害或死亡而引发的刑事诉讼也有所增加。日本《医师法》第21条规定，医生在诊断出“非自然”死亡时必须通知当地警方。最初，这一规定旨在通过犯罪侦查提高公共安全，但最近的一起刑事案件扩大了该条款的适用范围，将医疗过程中意外事故导致的死亡也包括在内。这起刑事案件对医生产生了巨大影响，因为定罪和判决迫使医生即使不确定患者是死于疾病还是医疗不当行为本身，也要通知警方。此外，我们不禁要问，医生将医疗事故导致的“非自然”死亡通知警方的这种义务，是否可能违反日本宪法（第38条）所保障的个人不受强迫自证其罪的特权。
