The Los Angeles City Council (LACC) said on Wednesday that it is considering an ordinance to punish patient dumping.

The measure would make it a misdemeanor offense in Los Angeles for hospitals to transport a patient to a location other than his or her home without written consent, according to the LACC.

Hospitals found to be in violation could be hit with a 25,000- dollar fine and three years probation.

The ordinance is intended to end the practice of leaving vulnerable patients on Skid Row.

Hospitals in the Los Angeles area care for more than 18,000 homeless patients a year. On average, those patients remain in the hospital nine days longer than is necessary because there is nowhere else for them to go, according to the Hospital Association of Southern California.

Two high-profile cases of patient dumping prompted City Councilwoman Jan Perry and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to draft the ordinance.

In 2006, Carol Ann Reyes, wearing a hospital gown and slippers, was left on a downtown street. Last year, Gabino Olvera, a homeless paraplegic, was left on Skid Row in a soiled medical gown -- his possessions in a bag clenched between his teeth.

A state bill addressing the same issue was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger two years ago. The bill would have barred hospitals and their staff from transporting a patient to a location other than that person's residence.

Hospitals are opposed to the bill, saying the proposed law would place undue burden on hospitals.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)