The Japanese health care system: planning the extinction of the private hospital?
The private hospital in Japan is like a patient with a very serious condition, but one that is reversible. Unless the treatment or appropriate support is given in a timely manner, the patient may have a cardiac arrest and either die or suffer permanent injury. In 1992 and 1993 there were record bankruptcies in private hospitals in Japan. These hospitals suffered permanent injuries, or ceased to exist because the proper support was not provided. More will suffer the same fate in the immediate future, because life saving measures continue to be withheld. This article attempts to provide some general and specific aspects of the Japanese health care system that have led private hospitals to the brink of extinction, and makes a plea for their survival.
The Kameda Medical Center, Kamogawa City, Japan.
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JC
Wocher
D016361:Bankruptcy; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital / Q000639:trends*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics*; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000191:economics*; D007564:Japan