The impact of an increased number of the foreign inpatients to the rural public hospital of Japan.
A rapid inflow of the foreign laborers into Japan has become obvious since a couple years ago when a serious shortage of labor had to be repaired urgently. A sudden increased number of the foreign inpatients had resulted in the problems for a rural public hospital, which sought sound solutions for them. Difficulty in communication with those whose mother tongue was not English, was one of them. Though it was not serious yet, a payment for medical care they had received, had been a burden both for them and for the hospital. This was because there was not private health insurance available for them. Asymptomatic infectious disease such as pulmonary tuberculosis was another problem, for which a routine physical examination would be required before or immediately after their entry into Japan.
Kikugawa General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan.
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Ninchoji
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Aiba
D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D006302:Health Services Research; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007348:Insurance, Health; D007564:Japan; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics