Seven people died and two were left comatose in 11 accidents involving respirators at 10 medical institutions nationwide in fiscal 2001, according to a health ministry report released Tuesday.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry submitted the report to the House of Representatives in the morning at the request of a Japanese Communist Party lawmaker, Hideo Kijima.
It is the first time the ministry has specified the number of respirator-related accidents, but the report fails to identify the 10 medical institutions involved.