TOKYO, Feb 4: A 69-year-old Japanese cyclist injured in a road accident died after 14 hospitals refused to admit him because they already had too many patients, emergency workers said on Wednesday.

They said the victim was finally admitted to hospital three hours after his accident, but died of his injuries, in the latest in a series of such cases in Japan.

The victim was said to be alert and relatively stable after the accident in the western city of Itami, and the head of the city fire department said it should have done more to find him a hospital place.

“I believe the judgment by the paramedics at the scene was correct. But perhaps the communication between them and the command centre should have been closer,” Kenichi Shimoya told reporters at a press conference. Japan boasts universal health care, but fewer people are entering the medical profession which has gruelling hours with lower compensation than in some other developed countries.—AFP