TOKYO: A former nurse was arrested on Wednesday (July 15) on suspicion of killing a patient by inserting faeces into his IV tube in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, police said.
Miyuki Furukawa, 51, a Kashiwa resident, is suspected of killing Eiji Aida, 75, by inserting faeces into the extension tube of an IV drip being administered to him at Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital at around 3.55am on Jan 30.
“I deny inserting faeces into the tube,” Furukawa was quoted as saying.
After his condition suddenly worsened, Aida was confirmed dead at around 10.30pm on Jan 31. The cause of death was multiple organ failure triggered by sepsis, with his blood found to contain bacteria that exist in human faeces.
At the time of the incident, Furukawa was working as the head nurse on the night shift. Hospital security camera footage shows her entering and exiting Aida’s room.
It was a fellow hospital employee who notified police after noticing the inside of the extension tube had turned brown. She told Kashiwa Police, “There is a possibility that a foreign substance was inserted,” on Feb. 1
According to investigative sources, Furukawa had argued with Aida. It was also revealed that Furukawa had searched on her smartphone for the phrase “faeces injection — Will [he] die?”
Furukawa, currently employed as a midwife at a Tokyo hospital, resigned from Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital at the end of February. Chiba prefectural police are investigating her motive and the detailed circumstances of the incident.
Aoikai, the organisation operating Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital, released a statement, saying: “This is an absolutely unforgivable act for someone working at a medical institution and as a human being. We are fully cooperating with the investigation and doing our best to reveal the facts.” - The Yomiuri Shimbun
