Japan Press Weekly

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2014 January 22 - 28 [WELFARE]

Joint effort against adverse change in nursing-care insurance growing in Hokkaido

In the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, movements are spreading in protest against the government’s plan to adversely revise the public nursing-care insurance program.

A liaison council consisting of nursing-care facilities and trade unions in Hokkaido in October last year released an appeal which calls on the central government to continue providing insured care services to patients in less serious conditions and to not limit patients eligible for entering special nursing homes.

As of January 22, this appeal received support from around 650 organizations in the prefecture, including the Hokkaido Social Welfare Council, conservative industrial associations, citizens groups, and large care facilities.

Ishii Hideo, co-head of the liaison council, said that an unprecedentedly wide range of organizations have expressed their support for the appeal. They share a strong sense of crisis because around 30% of the currently eligible patients in Hokkaido would not be able to receive care services if the state carries out the plan, he pointed out, and expressed his determination to block the government’s move.

In addition, 47 of all 179 municipal assemblies in Hokkaido have adopted statements in opposition to the adverse revision of the nursing-care insurance program as a result of the efforts made by the liaison council and the Japanese Communist Party.

Urakawa Town, one of the 47 municipalities, is making a town-wide effort to oppose the change in the public insurance program for nursing care. Both a local labor union affiliated to the Japan Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and a local branch of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) expressed their support for the appeal. The town mayor stated that he will call on the state in cooperation with heads of neighboring municipalities to cancel the adverse revision.