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Tokio Marine Unit to Boost Health Nurses 5-Fold

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 18:00 CDT

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo

May 20--TOKYO -- Tokio Marine and Nichido Medical Service Co. said Saturday the company will increase the number of health nurses five times the current level to around 100 as the government plans to boost its fight against diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases in its medical reform in fiscal 2008.

The group company of Japan's biggest casualty insurer, Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance Co., expects a greater demand for health nurses, who manage the health of contract workers against a series of adult-onset diseases, including metabolic syndrome.

If the Diet enacts a package of bills to limit the growth in fiscal spending on medical care benefits as part of its overall medical reforms, national health insurance societies and other public health care providers will be required by law to provide health screenings and guidance on lifestyle-related diseases to all insurance policyholders aged 40 to 74 and their dependents.

The company has judged that health insurance societies are likely to outsource health screening work more frequently with the introduction of the new law and has decided to boost the number of health nurses to meet the growing demand.

The company currently employs 20 health nurses and has contracts with about 350 doctors, including those at affiliated clinics. It conducts health management work for employees at more than 200 companies.

"By tapping into our cumulative know-how, we want to develop the outsourcing business in health management," a company executive said.

The company will employ additional health nurses either on full-time or part-time contracts. They will work with contracted health insurance societies to give advice to people with the risk of lifestyle-related diseases over the phone or at seminars to improve their diet and exercise habits.

The company will also work with the companies commissioned with the outsourcing of dieticians to provide service that combines health nurses and dieticians.

The company will also encourage insurance policyholders' dependents to have health screenings, manage health screenings data, and measure the effectiveness of a series of health management programs.

Metabolic syndrome, whose symptoms include high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. It is believed 19.6 million people in Japan aged 40 to 74 already have the disease or at risk.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Kyodo News International, Tokyo

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Source: Kyodo News International, Tokyo

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