[/floatr]AFP: Doctor shortage takes a toll in Japan
Japan might boast universal health cover and some of the world's best medical technology, but an acute shortage of doctors is leaving some hospitals unable to treat even car crash victims. Gruelling work hours are discouraging people from entering the medical profession in a country where the population is rapidly ageing, foreign doctors are barred and a swelling public debt caps doctors' salaries. The strains are even being felt here at the Hyogo Brain and Heart Centre...one of Japan's best-known neurology and cardiology hospitals. "We toil like workhorses," said Teishi Kajiya, the hospital's vice director and a cardiologist, taking some time for an interview before heading to the operation room. "It's become the norm for doctors to work 36 hours straight, which is emotionally and physically exhausting. We never know when one of us might collapse," he said, looking weary despite his tidy coat. "If this routine continues, doctors' abilities during surgery will drop and could increase the likelihood of medical errors." At the root of the problem is the steady decline in the number of so-called "level-two" hospitals which treat common injuries that require immediate hospitalisation, particularly in rural areas with falling populations. The burden has shifted to "level-three" hospitals, which offer emergency services for patients with life-threatening injuries, such as that in Himeji...more...
