Japan Press Weekly

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2007 November 28 - December 4 [WELFARE]

Intractable disease patients demand budget increase for treatment

A national day of action took place on December 2-3 to make the voices of patients with intractable diseases, chromic diseases, and infantile chromic diseases heard. The Japan Patient Association, the national organization for patients groups, was the main organizer.

In Tokyo, about 140 patients and family members from 79 groups held a rally on the first day. JCP member of the House of Councilors Koike Akira attended the rally and encouraged the participants.

In the keynote speech Ito Tateo said, “The government plans to cut the budget and force patients to scramble for a share of the meager budget. We will do our best to increase the budget to have the insurance cover all intractable diseases.”

Many patients spoke about their hardships and demands. One patient said, “Affected by temperature or humidity, I have unbearable pains, but the medical insurance does not cover my disease. There would be money available for my disease to be covered by the insurance if the government cuts wasteful expenditures”. Another patient said, “Although my disease is designated as an intractable disease, I still need help in reducing the cost of medical treatment.”

The participants in the rally adopted a resolution demanding that the principle of providing insurance coverage to essential medical treatments be maintained in connection with the government plan to introduce a “mixed medical services” system to allow hospitals to provide particular medical treatments without insurance coverage. - Akahata, December 3, 2007