January 29, 2009
The Japanese Communist Party on January 28 called on the Liberal Democratic, Democratic, Komei, Social Democratic, and People’s New parties to hold a meeting to discuss cooperation in order to enact a permanent law to deal with viral hepatitis.
The JCP move came in response to a call by representatives of the nationwide plaintiffs’ group involved in drug-induced hepatitis lawsuits and its lawyers, the nationwide plaintiffs’ group in hepatitis B lawsuits and its legal team, and a group of liver disease patients.
The group earlier in the day visited the JCP asking for cooperation to realize the enactment of a hepatitis patient aid law.
A woman who contracted hepatitis B due to inappropriate re-uses of needles in giving vaccinations said, “My son and daughter were also infected with the hepatitis virus. Please help us as soon as possible.”
A woman patient of the drug-induced hepatitis C said, “We know that the JCP was the first to extend support to us. The JCP is the closest to us. Please help us solve this problem as a matter of life and death.”
JCP representative of the House of Councilors Koike Akira said to the group, “It is essential to create a system that will enable patients to receive medical treatment without anxieties, officially recognize them as disabled in order to provide public livelihood support, and establish a legal framework for prevention measures. The JCP will do its utmost to enact a hepatitis patient aid law in a bipartisan manner forcing the Diet to accept responsibility.”
More than 3.5 million people are said to be infected with viral hepatitis B or C in Japan, caused by the government’s failure to responsibly regulate blood products, health services, and pharmaceutical affairs.
The JCP move came in response to a call by representatives of the nationwide plaintiffs’ group involved in drug-induced hepatitis lawsuits and its lawyers, the nationwide plaintiffs’ group in hepatitis B lawsuits and its legal team, and a group of liver disease patients.
The group earlier in the day visited the JCP asking for cooperation to realize the enactment of a hepatitis patient aid law.
A woman who contracted hepatitis B due to inappropriate re-uses of needles in giving vaccinations said, “My son and daughter were also infected with the hepatitis virus. Please help us as soon as possible.”
A woman patient of the drug-induced hepatitis C said, “We know that the JCP was the first to extend support to us. The JCP is the closest to us. Please help us solve this problem as a matter of life and death.”
JCP representative of the House of Councilors Koike Akira said to the group, “It is essential to create a system that will enable patients to receive medical treatment without anxieties, officially recognize them as disabled in order to provide public livelihood support, and establish a legal framework for prevention measures. The JCP will do its utmost to enact a hepatitis patient aid law in a bipartisan manner forcing the Diet to accept responsibility.”
More than 3.5 million people are said to be infected with viral hepatitis B or C in Japan, caused by the government’s failure to responsibly regulate blood products, health services, and pharmaceutical affairs.
