April 17, 2011
A hospital in disaster-hit Iwate Prefecture is now struggling with the negative effects of the so-called “structural reform” policy that has cut regional healthcare services under the pretext of shifting “from the public to the private sector” and “from the national to the regions”.
Kamaishi is one of the tsunami-devastated cities in Iwate. The Kamaishi municipal hospital, with a 250 bed capacity, was closed down in 2007 for reasons of “integration” with the Iwate prefectural Kamaishi hospital (272 beds).
The municipal hospital was turned into a private sanatorium for patients with chronic illnesses. It is no longer equipped to provide emergency services and the number of beds has been cut by 40%.
The March 11 tsunami swept away all private hospitals in the Kamaishi city center and in Kamaishi’s Unosumai Town. Another prefectural hospital and numerous private clinics in the neighboring town of Ootsuchi were also completely destroyed.
Therefore, people came to the remaining Iwate prefectural Kamaishi hospital which was undamaged. The hospital is now overflowing with inpatients. Many inpatients are lying in beds in the corridor of the ground floor or in the waiting room. The hospital cannot accept any more inpatients.
A 73-year-old man who had opposed the closure of the municipal hospital said, “When the municipal hospital was closed down, many doctors and nurses also left the city. The prefectural hospital alone cannot cope adequately with the emergency situation.”
In local communities, public hospitals provide a lifeline for local residents.
The Japanese Communist Party continues its work to stop the destruction of public infrastructure under the so-called “structural reform” policy. The party calls for restoration of regional healthcare by putting an end to mergers, closures, and privatization of public hospitals.
It is necessary to establish a strong and stable network of regional public infrastructure and facilities, including medical and nursing-care institutions. That is the only way to protect residents’ lives in times of disaster.
Kamaishi is one of the tsunami-devastated cities in Iwate. The Kamaishi municipal hospital, with a 250 bed capacity, was closed down in 2007 for reasons of “integration” with the Iwate prefectural Kamaishi hospital (272 beds).
The municipal hospital was turned into a private sanatorium for patients with chronic illnesses. It is no longer equipped to provide emergency services and the number of beds has been cut by 40%.
The March 11 tsunami swept away all private hospitals in the Kamaishi city center and in Kamaishi’s Unosumai Town. Another prefectural hospital and numerous private clinics in the neighboring town of Ootsuchi were also completely destroyed.
Therefore, people came to the remaining Iwate prefectural Kamaishi hospital which was undamaged. The hospital is now overflowing with inpatients. Many inpatients are lying in beds in the corridor of the ground floor or in the waiting room. The hospital cannot accept any more inpatients.
A 73-year-old man who had opposed the closure of the municipal hospital said, “When the municipal hospital was closed down, many doctors and nurses also left the city. The prefectural hospital alone cannot cope adequately with the emergency situation.”
In local communities, public hospitals provide a lifeline for local residents.
The Japanese Communist Party continues its work to stop the destruction of public infrastructure under the so-called “structural reform” policy. The party calls for restoration of regional healthcare by putting an end to mergers, closures, and privatization of public hospitals.
It is necessary to establish a strong and stable network of regional public infrastructure and facilities, including medical and nursing-care institutions. That is the only way to protect residents’ lives in times of disaster.
