Opinion

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.

Shukan ST: Jan. 17, 1997

(C) All rights reserved