Doctor Crisis

There was a very striking article in the news today. It said, "All five ICUdoctors of the National Cardiovascular Center (NCVC) resign at the end ofMarch." Even for a person like me who at least for now have no business withthe center nor cardiovascular related matters, this news appears to be agreat shock moreover a very grave situation.

The NCVC is known as and is the country's foremost institution forcardiovascular treatment, undertaking more than 1,100 heart transplantoperations operated in Japan (that's more than half of the total) includingthose of children and those that are the severest. They have at least thebest systems and facilities in the country of taking care the patients withsuch of health issues, completely separating the operation team and thepost-operation treatment team (ICU) so that they can support the patients24/7. For the moment there are five doctors in the ICU of whom all areexperts in the field, and all five of them including two of the bestcardiovascular doctors in Japan. These two doctors explain that they aretotally worn out mentally and physically from their jobs at the hospital,and the 3 others are resigning because the resignation of the two disenablesthem from further tutorship.

From April at least for a while NCVC will have to refill the vacant posts ofthe ICU with doctors from other departments, but the surgical team wouldhave to take care of serious situations after the operation if there occurany. Though the center admits that complete separation of the surgical andtreatment teams would become impossible and also that the replacement of thetwo greatest authorities of the field is even more impossible, they will notdecrease the number of operations nor would affect the patients in any way.

Well, all the knowledge I have on Japanese medical circumstances are thoseobtained from (comic) books and TV dramas which in most cases areexaggerated to some extent I believe, and I know nothing by experience aboutthe reality of the world. But then, the reasons these two doctors gave leftme with a serious and heavy impression that it really must be very hard tobe doctors, perhaps even more so in this country where things behind thescenes are still very feudalistic and factions have greater power thanabilities or skills. While I learn about the half-fiction situations ofJapenese hospitals and doctors from manga and from TV I always liked tobelieve they're really half-fictious but perhaps they are more true than Iwant to think.

We don't have enough doctors, we don't have enough nurses, the systems arerather unclear, the people are aging and less children are being born partof it because of the downside of the medical systems of the country. This isonly creating a vicious cycle. What is our future to become of?

Today's update on Japan Mode: Ladies Fashion Spring 2007 - it's pretty muchthe repetition of the entry I had a few weeks ago, maybe just a bit moredetailed. Will have men's fashion up sometime soon too.