Photo/Illutration Otsu Municipal Hospital in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture (Izuru Hishiyama)

OTSU, Shiga Prefecture--Otsu Municipal Hospital here announced Feb. 15 that nine surgeons are quitting. The doctors are citing “power harassment” that left them no choice but to leave.

The surgeons are among a group of 10 specialists working in departments handling surgery, digestive surgery and breast surgery. The hospital is categorized as a “local incorporated administrative agency” under Japanese law.

A third-party committee consisting of lawyers is investigating the matter.

A stalemate emerged late last year between the hospital’s board chairman and the surgeons over what constitutes power harassment.

The development prompted the three departments to notify the association of Otsu city’s medical practitioners that they had suspended accepting new patients who require surgery.

Jyo Kitawaki, the hospital’s board chairman, said at a news conference that day that he informed the surgeons last September that he intended to replace the core team with the one comprised of doctors from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.

The nine surgeons are all seconded to the hospital from Kyoto University’s faculty of medicine.

They maintained that Kitawaki’s comment constituted power harassment on grounds it was intended to force them to resign.

However, an internal hospital investigation concluded otherwise.

At the same time, the nine surgeons informed their patients in writing that they would resign one after another by the end of June.

Also on Feb. 14, Kyoto University notified the hospital it was withdrawing the doctors from their secondments.

Kitawaki, according to one of the surgeons who spoke to reporters, told the group that the financial performance of the three departments was not up to scratch.

“Give your positions to (doctors) from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and go back to Kyoto University,” he was quoted as saying at the time.

The doctor asserted that Kitawaki refused to accept the surgeons’ argument that their departments’ financial performance had returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The hospital still maintains that it wants doctors to be seconded from Kyoto University.

It is also calling on hospitals in neighboring areas to help out.

“From spring, we might not be able to accept outpatients at our A&E department or only perform minor surgical operations such as the one for appendicitis,” Kitawaki said.

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