Japan Aiming to Resolve Doctor Shortage
Posted on: Wednesday, 18 June 2008, 18:00 CDT
Tokyo, June 18 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government on Wednesday came up with a medium- to long-term plan to correct the severe shortage of medical doctors, which has forced many hospitals in the country to quit obstetric and pediatric services, in particular.
Under the plan, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will increase the number of doctors by changing the way it calculates the appropriate number to ensure smooth medical care services anywhere in Japan.
This represents a reversal of the current policy of limiting the number of doctors across the country. Under the medical care law, one doctor is required for every 40 outpatients.
In an attempt to overcome a shortage of anesthetists, the ministry will allow hospitals to offer anesthetic services even if there are no government-licensed anesthetists.
As a means to secure a sufficient number of doctors in rural areas, the ministry will support hospitals that actively recruit young doctors for their staff.
Many younger doctors have flocked to hospitals in urban areas such as Tokyo since 2004, when the ministry introduced the 2-year compulsory clinical training system, which allows new doctors to choose where to take training programs.
New doctors apparently want to work at hospitals in urban areas, rather than in rural ones, as they are guaranteed relatively high salary levels.
A change in the clinical training system will be considered in order to correct the concentration of doctors in big city hospitals.
Noting that about one-third of the people who passed national examinations for medical practitioners are women, the ministry stressed the need for conditions that enable female doctors to achieve a work-life balance. Specifically, it plans to introduce a system in which work hours will be cut for full-time female doctors who are pregnant or have small children.
According to a health ministry survey in 2004, Japan faces a shortage of some 9,000 doctors working at least 48 hours a week.END
(c) 2008 Jiji Press English News Service. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Jiji Press English News Service
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