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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Japan's medical organizations hold rally opposing government plan to force people to pay more

Thirty-eight medical organizations, including the Japan Medical Association, the Japan Dental Association, the Japan Pharmaceutical Association, and the Japanese Nursing Association, on December 3 held a rally at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo in opposition to the government plan to increase the public burden of medical costs.

About 2,000 participants adopted a resolution calling for the cancellation of the government plan to increase the burden of medical expenses on senior citizens, increase the burden of high medical care and dialysis treatment on patients, and increase the burden of expenses for hospital meals and beds on inpatients.

Uematsu Haruo, president of the Japan Medical Association, pointed out that the government seeks cutbacks in expenditure on medical costs so that medical services will be driven by market forces.

Stating that the present universal national health-insurance system is a world-class accomplishment, Uematsu called on the participants to make every effort to defend this system.

Yui Seiji, representative of the Japan Association of Kidney Disease Patients, also criticized the government plan that seeks to raise the ceiling of dialyzed patients' individual payment.

The Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (Min-Iren) on the same day published an appeal calling for a struggle to defend the universal national health-insurance system.

Min-Iren predicts that if government reduces healthcare payments depending on the economic situation, there will be people who cannot receive needed medical treatment if the economy is in decline.

Min-Iren claims that it is possible to ensure funds for preserving the present national universal heath insurance system if large corporations pay a larger share of social insurance premiums and if the exorbitant prices for pharmaceutical medicines and medical equipment are reviewed.
- Akahata, December 4&5, 2005