Family Blames Lack of Medical Interpreters in Young Woman’s Death
Korea Times, News Report, Seok Ho Lee, Translated by Aruna Lee, Posted: Jun 19, 2007
Editor's note: The number of qualified medical interpreters does not meet the growing demand from the Asian community, experts say. Family members of a young Korean woman say that she died after a Los Angeles County hospital failed to provide a Korean-language interpreter and terminated further medical treatment.
LOS ANGELES — A young Korean woman died late last year while receiving treatment for cancer at a Los Angeles County public hospital, leaving behind a husband and two children. Family and friends of the woman say her death could have been prevented had the hospital provided adequate interpreter services.
The young woman known as Ms. Kim, 36, had been undergoing chemotherapy for stomach cancer before she died. Her family says that they made several requests for an interpreter during those treatments, but hospital staff said that no one was available. Her family also said that on another occasion, Kim had scheduled an appointment to see her doctor, but waited all day for a Korean-language interpreter. When no one arrived, Kim left the hospital without seeing her doctor.
Relatives say that when Kim was discharged from the hospital in 2005, she was required by hospital staff to sign a document that essentially terminated further treatment. Kim's illness worsened when she returned home. She returned to the hospital five months after her discharge, this time accompanied by an interpreter, who then explained to Kim that she had signed an agreement ending all treatment.
Kim's family blames the hospital for her death, saying that the hospital never explained the reasons for ending her treatment. Kim had spent many hours in the hospital, waiting in vain for an interpreter who could help her communicate with doctors, her family and friends say.
Yungsuhn Park, an attorney with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, said, “State and federal law require all state-funded hospitals to provide interpretation services to limited English proficient patients. If the Los Angeles County hospitals do not improve their policies and properly provide these services, we will consider filing a class action lawsuit targeting this discrimination.”
Statistics show that among people of color, Asian Americans receive a disproportionately small amount of medical interpreter services. As a result they are at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving quality medical care.
Experts say the number of qualified interpreters does not meet the growing demand from the Asian community. They add that Los Angeles County does not have the financial means to fill these much needed positions.
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