Medical Businesses in Japan Struggle to Stay Open
2020-05-29
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1In Japan, many small medical centers are at risk of going out of business as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
2Even as the government eases COVID-19 restrictions, people continue to avoid the clinics in fear they might catch the disease there.
3Now clinic owners are asking the government for help.
4Toshihiko Yamazaki operates a clinic in the city of Urawa, north of Tokyo.
5He said clinics in the residential and office areas seem to be having a difficult time.
6"Even if the state of emergency is lifted, patients won't be able to return as long as there is a risk of infection," he said.
7Yamazaki has seven employees.
8His clinic has gotten through the crisis better than most because it is close to a major train station.
9Still, in April, revenue was down 17 percent.
10Japan had about 16,600 coronavirus infections and around 850 deaths.
11It has mostly contained the virus without heavy restrictions on travel and business.
12Citizens mostly have obeyed the government's call for an 80 percent cut to social interactions.
13Clinic visits for usual health care have decreased, as a result.
14An industry organization, the Tokyo Medical Practitioner Association, surveyed 1,200 clinics in the capital.
15It says more than 90 percent of them suffered revenue loss in April.
16The Japan Federation of Insurance Medical Associations carried out a similar survey nationwide.
17It found that more than 80 percent of 2,900 clinics also saw revenue loss in April.
18Some of the business went to the internet, where doctors can provide telehealth services.
19But most doctors get only about half as much money as they would receive for in-person visits.
20Experts also predict a decrease of about $4.6 billion in hospital revenues this year.
21Teaching hospitals have asked the government for financial aid.
22And, medical and hospital groups are urging Japan's health ministry to re-direct aid for community health programs to small medical centers.
23Health ministry official Kazuho Taguchi said the ministry was taking the issue seriously.
24Non-virus services must be continued, he added, saying the ministry was holding hearings on ways to deal with the problem of fewer patients.
25Toshio Nakagawa is vice president of the Japan Medical Association.
26He points out that as revenue decreases, doctors may reconsider plans to buy equipment and hire workers.
27That, he says, could lead to a drop "in the quality of medical care."
28I'm Alice Bryant.
1In Japan, many small medical centers are at risk of going out of business as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Even as the government eases COVID-19 restrictions, people continue to avoid the clinics in fear they might catch the disease there. 2Now clinic owners are asking the government for help. 3Toshihiko Yamazaki operates a clinic in the city of Urawa, north of Tokyo. He said clinics in the residential and office areas seem to be having a difficult time. 4"Even if the state of emergency is lifted, patients won't be able to return as long as there is a risk of infection," he said. 5Yamazaki has seven employees. His clinic has gotten through the crisis better than most because it is close to a major train station. Still, in April, revenue was down 17 percent. 6Japan had about 16,600 coronavirus infections and around 850 deaths. It has mostly contained the virus without heavy restrictions on travel and business. 7Citizens mostly have obeyed the government's call for an 80 percent cut to social interactions. Clinic visits for usual health care have decreased, as a result. 8An industry organization, the Tokyo Medical Practitioner Association, surveyed 1,200 clinics in the capital. It says more than 90 percent of them suffered revenue loss in April. 9The Japan Federation of Insurance Medical Associations carried out a similar survey nationwide. It found that more than 80 percent of 2,900 clinics also saw revenue loss in April. 10Some of the business went to the internet, where doctors can provide telehealth services. But most doctors get only about half as much money as they would receive for in-person visits. 11Experts also predict a decrease of about $4.6 billion in hospital revenues this year. Teaching hospitals have asked the government for financial aid. 12And, medical and hospital groups are urging Japan's health ministry to re-direct aid for community health programs to small medical centers. 13Health ministry official Kazuho Taguchi said the ministry was taking the issue seriously. Non-virus services must be continued, he added, saying the ministry was holding hearings on ways to deal with the problem of fewer patients. 14Toshio Nakagawa is vice president of the Japan Medical Association. He points out that as revenue decreases, doctors may reconsider plans to buy equipment and hire workers. That, he says, could lead to a drop "in the quality of medical care." 15I'm Alice Bryant. 16Reuters News Agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 17________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19residential - adj. containing mostly homes instead of stores or businesses 20revenue - n. money that is made or paid to a business or an organization 21interaction - n. the act of talking or doing things with other people 22survey - n. an act of studying something in order to make a judgment about it