Japan Times: Hosptals turn away patients at record rates

A record 16,381 people in serious condition were refused admission by hospitals three times or more while being transported by ambulance in 2010, up 3,217 from the previous year, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

The agency said Friday the rise came because hospitals still aren’t prepared to receive an increasing number of elderly patients amid the graying population.

Among the reported cases, 727 people were rejected 10 times or more, with a 60-year-old man in Tokyo rejected the most, 41 times.

I need to keep this in the back of my head the next time I hear someone complaining — or I am tempted to complain — about hospital delays and wait times here.