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The number of beds per capita is one of the highest in the world and, despite the fact that the number of people infected with the new coronavirus is lower than in Europe and the United States, national medical care is scarce. It has been noted that only 25% of major hospitals across the country can accept new corona patients. (Yasushi Inoue, Daiki Fujikawa, Ryo Harada)
◆ Number of beds per 1000 people, 4 or 5 times higher than in the US and the UK
Among the countries surveyed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2019, Japan has the highest number of beds per 1,000 people with 13.0 beds. South Korea has 12.4 beds and Germany 8.0 beds. The United States has 2.9 beds and the United Kingdom has 2.5 beds.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Welfare, there are 8,247 hospitals with 20 or more beds. Of the 7,403 facilities (at the end of November last year) registered in the information system of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare that centrally manages the operational status of hospitals throughout the country, 1,872 facilities were able to accept patients with corona , or 25% of the total. There are a total of around 890,000 beds for general illnesses and infectious diseases, but only 27,600 beds for corona, which is only 3%.
◆ They accept corona patients, 20% of private hospitals
As for the 4,255 intensive care hospitals nationwide that provide initial treatment for injuries and illnesses, 70% of public hospitals and 80% of public hospitals accept corona patients, but many private hospitals accept small and medium. It is a percentage.
Regarding why uptake is not progressing in the private sector, Dr. Yozo Takehisa, the representative of the Heisei Medical Wellness Group who experienced a cluster in a management hospital, said: “Many times more work is needed to take care of Corona patients and other medical operations and treatments. It will not be possible and it will be in the red. There is also the risk of hospital infection. ”
◆ The hospital you accepted is “a deficit of billions of yen”
However, the same is true in public hospitals that accept corona patients and management becomes difficult. Kazuhiro Tateda, president of the Japan Society for Infectious Diseases, said the hospital (special function hospital) operated by Toho University, where he works, accepts corona patients and “has a deficit of billions of yen.” Mr. Tateda says, “It is also a good idea to visualize where and how much is accepted so that a specific hospital is not overloaded.”
Toshi Kamata, executive director of the Japan Medical Association, insists that “the government must show firm policy. With the current system, (the crown’s response) cannot be enforced, but such discussions will be necessary in the medium and long term. long term”. ..
Keihiro Ota, vice president of the Japan Medical Corporation Association, noted that it is important to increase the number of beds for the seriously ill, but said that “intensive treatment rooms (ICUs) are needed to treat serious illnesses and the number of beds is not it can be increased quickly. ” What to do. He added: “We will try to increase the number of people in the private sector, but if we do not control the epidemic and reduce the number of infected people, it will only be a provision.”
◆ When asked about institutional issues, the Prime Minister “thinks differently depending on the country.”
Regarding the current situation where Japan has been unable to respond to the spread of the new corona infection while securing the largest number of beds in the world, Prime Minister Yoshii Suga asked at a press conference on the 13th whether he believes that there is a problem with the system or the Japan system. “As the spread of infection continues, it is extremely important to secure a bed so that we can receive the necessary medical care,” he said.
A Bloomberg News reporter said that “although the level is quite different from a country like the United States where 10,000 units of infection occur in a day, the possibility of medical collapse in the country has been pointed out.” I heard the idea.
The prime minister said: “The situation of the health care delivery system and the way of thinking about health care differ from country to country. It is quite difficult to compare.”
