Family Sues Hospital After Nurse’s Suicide Linked to Doctor's Scolding

Feb 20, 2026 | News On Japan

SHIGA, Feb 20, 2026 (News On Japan) - The family of a female nurse who took her own life after being severely reprimanded by a doctor while working under the risk of COVID-19 infection has filed a lawsuit seeking damages from the Japanese Red Cross Society, following official recognition of the case as a work-related accident.

According to documents related to the industrial accident certification, the nurse, who was employed at Otsu Red Cross Hospital in 2021, was caring for patients infected with the novel coronavirus when a male doctor admonished her for touching a treatment room curtain while wearing infection-control gloves. The doctor reportedly shouted at her, saying, “You are spreading corona,” among other remarks. The nurse died by suicide the following year.

After the government revised its standards for work-related accident recognition to include “duties with a high risk of infectious disease,” the Otsu Labor Standards Inspection Office acknowledged that while the doctor’s reprimand fell within the scope of work, the psychological burden associated with infection risk should be assessed comprehensively. The case was subsequently recognized as a work-related accident.

In response, the nurse’s family filed a lawsuit on February 18 against the Japanese Red Cross Society, which operates the hospital, seeking 100 million yen in damages.

Otsu Red Cross Hospital said it could not comment because it had not yet received the complaint.

Source: YOMIURI

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