Since there are cases where patients with the new coronavirus do not respond to requests for accommodation treatment from local governments, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare specializes in setting penalties for patients who do not respond after recommending hospitalization on the 15th. Shown at the house meeting.
While the meeting was generally approved, the committee members expressed a series of opinions calling for careful application.
The local government has requested that mildly ill patients of the new coronavirus be treated at accommodations or at home, but there are cases where it is refused due to lack of legal status.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced a policy to revise the Infectious Diseases Control Law at an expert meeting held on the 15th.
The proposal presented on the 15th recommends that patients who do not respond to medical treatment requests be hospitalized at their own expense, and will be able to impose penalties if they refuse.
It also means that there will be new penalties for refusing to investigate the health center or making false declarations.
The specific details of the penalties were not shown, but if the hospitalization recommendation was violated, "imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 1 million yen", and if the investigation by the health center was refused, "500,000 yen or less". It is being considered to impose a "fine".
At the meeting, the general approval was obtained for setting penalties, but the committee members said, "Isn't the criminal punishment too heavy?" Or "It is difficult to decide who will judge even if penalties are set, and it is effective. There were a number of opinions calling for careful application, such as "I don't know" and "I want you to avoid cracking the relationship of trust with patients."
Based on the discussion on the 15th, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare plans to submit an amendment to the Infectious Diseases Control Law to the ordinary Diet session convened on the 18th of this month.