Japan Press Weekly

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2013 March 6 - 12 [GREAT EAST JAPAN DISASTER]

Disaster victims call for free medical program to be continued

Victims of the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami on March 7 made representations to the Miyagi Prefectural government at the prefectural building, urging it to continue providing them with free medical treatments.

Since the national government terminated the exemption for medical and nursing care charges for disaster victims in September, it covers 80% of the payments while the remaining 20% is provided by the prefectural government. However, Miyagi Prefecture plans to end the subsidy by the end of March due to financial difficulties.

At prefectural assembly meetings, two representatives of the Japanese Communist Party have revealed that Miyagi Prefecture still has 10.3 billion yen in donations from municipalities and citizens throughout Japan, amounting to more than enough to cover the 4.7 billion yen necessary for extending the exemption program.

Although disaster victims requested Governor Murai Yoshihiro to meet with them on that day, he only sent his secretary to receive their petition.

At a rally held by 120 disaster sufferers at the prefectural building, a woman living in a temporary housing unit in Sendai City said that if the prefectural government terminates the program, the amount she pays for her mother to stay at a special nursing home will increase from 22,000 yen to 45,000 yen.

A resident of another temporary shelter in Sendai City testified that she suffers from depression and has to take medicine to go to sleep, but her monthly income is 70,000 yen from her part-time job. “Which part of my daily living expenditures can I cut further?” she said.