May 17, 2012
A sudden announcement by the welfare ministry about the sale of a public hospital in a city in Kanagawa Prefecture has caused confusion among residents and hospital workers.
Since its foundation in 1948 in Tokyo’s neighboring city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa, the Kawasaki Social Insurance Hospital played an important role in providing medical services to local residents as the only general hospital in the Keihin waterfront district, Japan’s well known industrial area lying between Tokyo and Kanagawa. The hospital is one of two hospitals in the city which have palliative care units for terminally ill cancer patients.
Welfare Minister Komiyama Yoko at the end of last year suddenly announced a plan to dispose of the hospital by public sale, and the date of submission of tender bids was set for May 18.
Not only Kawasaki citizens and the city assembly but also hospital workers received no information about the plan following the announcement.
The secretary of a workers’ union at the hospital said, “The plan is like a bolt from the blue. The ministry cited the hospital’s financial situation as a reason for the sellout plan. However, the hospital is in the black, and it has decided to increase the number of pediatricians to improve medical services for children. The ministry’s plan tramples on our efforts and jeopardizes patients’ lives and health.”
Since the sale plan was made public, university hospitals stopped sending their doctors to the Kawasaki hospital and many workers left the hospital. As a result, it has to turn away patients in need of emergency care or hospitalization and reduce the number of treatment departments.
Concerned hospital workers and local residents jointly launched a signature drive urging the ministry to cancel its unfair sale plan. They submitted to the ministry 7,697 signatures and negotiated with the ministry.
Japanese Communist Party member of the Kawasaki City Assembly Sano Yoshiaki said, “The Welfare Ministry obviously doesn’t care about provoding quality and affordable healthcare for local people. Together with concerned citizens, we will work hard to protect the hospital from closure.”
Since its foundation in 1948 in Tokyo’s neighboring city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa, the Kawasaki Social Insurance Hospital played an important role in providing medical services to local residents as the only general hospital in the Keihin waterfront district, Japan’s well known industrial area lying between Tokyo and Kanagawa. The hospital is one of two hospitals in the city which have palliative care units for terminally ill cancer patients.
Welfare Minister Komiyama Yoko at the end of last year suddenly announced a plan to dispose of the hospital by public sale, and the date of submission of tender bids was set for May 18.
Not only Kawasaki citizens and the city assembly but also hospital workers received no information about the plan following the announcement.
The secretary of a workers’ union at the hospital said, “The plan is like a bolt from the blue. The ministry cited the hospital’s financial situation as a reason for the sellout plan. However, the hospital is in the black, and it has decided to increase the number of pediatricians to improve medical services for children. The ministry’s plan tramples on our efforts and jeopardizes patients’ lives and health.”
Since the sale plan was made public, university hospitals stopped sending their doctors to the Kawasaki hospital and many workers left the hospital. As a result, it has to turn away patients in need of emergency care or hospitalization and reduce the number of treatment departments.
Concerned hospital workers and local residents jointly launched a signature drive urging the ministry to cancel its unfair sale plan. They submitted to the ministry 7,697 signatures and negotiated with the ministry.
Japanese Communist Party member of the Kawasaki City Assembly Sano Yoshiaki said, “The Welfare Ministry obviously doesn’t care about provoding quality and affordable healthcare for local people. Together with concerned citizens, we will work hard to protect the hospital from closure.”
