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医療保険制度の改善
11月に経済企画庁から発表された『国民生活白書』は、高齢社会を前に年金・医療・福祉の見直しを提案している。最近、ある病院で不愉快な目に遭った筆者は、見直しが医療の見えにくい部分にまで行き渡ることを願っている…。
Improving Health Care
By Christine Cunanan-Nomura
The Economic Planning Agency released a white paper on Japan's national lifestyle last November which outlined many problems brought on by the aging of society, the faulty health insurance system, and an expensive medical treatment scheme.
This report has prompted many discussions on reforming the entire medical system including hospitalization and treatment policies, doctors' fees, and drug costs.
In addition to making medical treatment more cost-effective, however, I hope that these discussions will also lead to a significant improvement in some less tangible areas of treatment.
One glaring point of contention is the neglect shown by many Japanese doctors, who do not bother to explain to their patients either the implications of their sickness or the treatment process. Usually patients are merely given a bagful of medicine with no warnings about side effects and little information on what has actually been prescribed.
Many foreigners find this lack of information difficult to understand. Most people from other countries expect clear and concrete explanations about their sicknesses and treatments from the doctor handling them.
I myself recently had a harrowing experience at a major Tokyo hospital. After a brief diagnosis session, the doctor undertook several painful examinations on me without warning me or explaining anything at all. After these examinations, I was directed to the medicine counter where I had to pay for numerous unnamed, unexplained medicines.
I was not informed about the various side effects that these examinations and medicines might have on me. In fact, I was so worried about the side effects that I had to visit the hospital again just to reassure myself that nothing was going wrong. I was angry because this stress and my second hospital visit might have easily been avoided if only I had been properly informed about the side effects in advance.
Foreigners and Japanese people who are familiar with medical treatment in other developed countries often criticize Japanese doctors' lack of bedside manner and their failure to inform and consult with their patients.
One foreigner who had just undergone surgery at a Japanese hospital said, "At the very least, patients in other countries expect their doctors to tell them what they're suffering from, what symptoms to expect, what their treatment options are, and what the side effects may be." Foreign doctors usually treat their patients like adults and try to make them understand the details of their illness, but Japanese doctors treat their patients like little children who don't have to be told things they wouldn't understand anyway.
Dr. Satoshi Tanaka, in his book "Getting Sick in Japan: Understanding the Japanese Health Care System" explains that Japanese doctors have practically no training in medical ethics, and they tend to regard their patients as specimens rather than human beings.
Yet for many patients a wise, sympathetic and sensitive physician can make all the difference. Their treatment will be more successful and a less stressful experience as well.
The Economic Planning Agency released a white paper on Japan's national lifestyle last November which outlined many problems brought on by the aging of society, the faulty health insurance system, and an expensive medical treatment scheme.
This report has prompted many discussions on reforming the entire medical system including hospitalization and treatment policies, doctors' fees, and drug costs.
In addition to making medical treatment more cost-effective, however, I hope that these discussions will also lead to a significant improvement in some less tangible areas of treatment.
One glaring point of contention is the neglect shown by many Japanese doctors, who do not bother to explain to their patients either the implications of their sickness or the treatment process. Usually patients are merely given a bagful of medicine with no warnings about side effects and little information on what has actually been prescribed.
Many foreigners find this lack of information difficult to understand. Most people from other countries expect clear and concrete explanations about their sicknesses and treatments from the doctor handling them.
I myself recently had a harrowing experience at a major Tokyo hospital. After a brief diagnosis session, the doctor undertook several painful examinations on me without warning me or explaining anything at all. After these examinations, I was directed to the medicine counter where I had to pay for numerous unnamed, unexplained medicines.
I was not informed about the various side effects that these examinations and medicines might have on me. In fact, I was so worried about the side effects that I had to visit the hospital again just to reassure myself that nothing was going wrong. I was angry because this stress and my second hospital visit might have easily been avoided if only I had been properly informed about the side effects in advance.
Foreigners and Japanese people who are familiar with medical treatment in other developed countries often criticize Japanese doctors' lack of bedside manner and their failure to inform and consult with their patients.
One foreigner who had just undergone surgery at a Japanese hospital said, "At the very least, patients in other countries expect their doctors to tell them what they're suffering from, what symptoms to expect, what their treatment options are, and what the side effects may be." Foreign doctors usually treat their patients like adults and try to make them understand the details of their illness, but Japanese doctors treat their patients like little children who don't have to be told things they wouldn't understand anyway.
Dr. Satoshi Tanaka, in his book "Getting Sick in Japan: Understanding the Japanese Health Care System" explains that Japanese doctors have practically no training in medical ethics, and they tend to regard their patients as specimens rather than human beings.
Yet for many patients a wise, sympathetic and sensitive physician can make all the difference. Their treatment will be more successful and a less stressful experience as well.
Shukan ST: Jan. 17, 1997
(C) All rights reserved
- Economic Planning Agency
- 経済企画庁
- released a white paper on Japan's national lifestyle
- 国民生活白書を発表した
- outlined 〜
- 〜 を概説した
- aging of society
- 高齢化社会
- faulty
- 欠陥のある
- health insurance system
- 保険医療制度
- medical treatment scheme
- 医療制度
- has prompted 〜
- 〜 を促した
- hospitalization and treatment policies
- 入院医療制度
- doctors' fees
- 医療費
- drug costs
- 薬剤費
- cost-effective
- 費用に対して効率のよい
- lead to 〜
- 〜 につながる
- significant
- 意義のある
- less tangible areas of treatment
- 医療の中でもあまり目立たない分野
- glaring point of contention
- 明かな論点
- neglect
- 軽視
- do not bother to 〜
- 〜 してくれない
- implications
- 内容
- treatment process
- 治療法
- merely 〜
- 〜 するだけ
- a bagful of 〜
- 袋いっぱいの 〜
- warnings
- 警告
- side effects
- 副作用
- what has actually been prescribed
- 実際に処方された薬
- clear and concrete
- 明確で具体的な
- doctor handling them
- 主治医
- harrowing
- 悲惨な
- brief diagnosis session
- 短い診察
- undertook 〜 (on 〜 )
- ( 〜 に) 〜 を行なった
- painful examinations
- つらい検査
- was directed to 〜
- 〜 へ行くように指示された
- medicine counter
- 薬剤窓口
- numerous unnamed, unexplained medicines
- 名前も知らない、何の説明も受けていない大量の薬
- was not informed about 〜
- 〜 は知らされていなかった
- reassure myself that nothing was going wrong
- 悪い副作用がないことを確かめたくて
- properly
- 適切に
- in advance
- 事前に
- are familiar with 〜
- 〜 に慣れている
- criticize
- 批判する
- bedside manner
- 病床の患者に対する医師の接し方
- At the very least
- 少なくとも
- (had)undergone surgery
- 手術を受けた
- what symptoms to expect
- どんな症状が予想されるか
- options
- 選択肢
- practically
- ほとんど
- medical ethics
- 医療倫理
- tend to 〜
- 〜 しがちだ
- regard 〜 as 〜
- 〜 を 〜 とみなす
- specimens
- 実験台
- sympathetic
- 共感してくれる
- sensitive
- 神経の細やかな
- physician
- 医者
- can make all the difference
- とても重要なことだ
-