3 Discharge or continuation of hospitalization

The managers of designated inpatient care hospitals are required to apply for confirmation every six months of the need to continue the hospitalization of subject persons, and for their discharge from the hospital immediately after it is deemed no longer necessary for them to remain hospitalized to receive medical care. In addition, the subject person and the custodian or attendant can apply for permission of discharge or for termination of the medical care at any time. The court decides on whether medical care still is necessary or not, etc. at a hearing upon application. In 2011, 176 applications by managers of designated inpatient care hospitals for permission to discharge the subject persons were received and 95 applications by the subject persons, etc. for permission to be discharged from a hospital/termination of medical care were received (excluding transfers). 145 decisions on permission for discharge from the hospital (refers to a decision to allow a person to be discharged from the hospital and to make him/her receive outpatient treatment; hereinafter the same in this section) and 25 decisions on termination of medical care were made in 2011 (Source: Annual Report of Judicial Statistics).