Criticism is continuing over the Japanese government’s measures to limit inpatient treatment for infected people other than severely ill patients to prevent a medical collapse caused by the spread of COVID-19. A hospital has also appeared with the words “Stop the Olympics”, saying that it can no longer handle the surge of patients.
The Welfare and Labor Committee of the House of Representatives of Japan held a meeting on the 4th to review the government’s measures to restrict hospitalization. The Asahi Shimbun reported that critics of the government’s measures were raised at this meeting, regardless of the ruling and opposition parties.
The Japanese government adjusted hospitalization standards for COVID-19 patients at a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga the day before. The goal is to limit the number of hospitalized patients related to COVID-19 to those who are seriously ill or who are at risk of aggravation, and other infected people to receive home care. If home care is not possible due to family circumstances, etc., accommodation treatment facilities are available.
Representative Michiyo Takagi of the Komeito party, the ruling coalition party, said, “It is impossible to see a patient with moderate disease who needs oxygen inhalation at home,” said Norihisa Tamura. ) requested the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare categorizes those infected with COVID-19 into four stages according to severity: mild, moderate 1, moderate 2, and severe. “We must first apologize to the public for failing to contain the spread of infection,” said Akira Nagatsuma, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Korea. Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Tamura said, “The rate of infection of the delta mutation is increasing.
Communication in the implementation process was also a problem. Shigeru Omi, chairman of the COVID-19 Countermeasures Subcommittee, an advisory body to the government, said, “We share opinions with the government every day, but we have never consulted or discussed this matter.” On the same day, four opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party, adopted the withdrawal of the hospitalization restriction as their party argument. Jun Azumi, a member of the National Assembly’s committee for the Constitutional Democratic Party, sent a text message to reporters on the same day, saying, “Politics can cost lives.” The National Governors’ Association, a group of local government heads, delivered an official letter to the government on the 3rd, saying, “The government should come up with clearer standards regarding hospitalization restrictions.”
The issue of medical vacancy due to home care is also discussed. Osaka Prefectural Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said, “It is very risky to perform home treatment in principle without medical support such as visits and visiting nursing.” Osaka Prefecture is an area that has been greatly affected by the fourth wave of the Japanese epidemic that began last month. The hospitalization rate fell to 10% compared to those who were receiving medical care, resulting in deaths during home care. The crisis experienced by Osaka is likely to be repeated in Tokyo. The number of home care workers in Tokyo stood at 1,000 at the beginning of last month, but surpassed 10,000 on the 31st of last month. Tokyo Metropolitan Government recorded 4,166 new daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the 4th. Hideo Maeda, director of the Kita Ward Public Health Center in Tokyo, said, “If the number of people caring at home increases more than this, we will not be able to respond. If a moderately ill patient who requires serious treatment is treated at home, medical care may not arrive and he may die,” he told the Mainichi Shimbun.
There is also an opinion that this is an unavoidable measure because the hospital beds are still saturated. However, there are complaints about the implementation of restrictions on hospitalization during the Olympic Games. Tachigawa Mutual Hospital in Tachigawa City, Tokyo, has become a hot topic by writing “Medical care is the limit of the Olympics!” on the window of the hospital building. Keibun Kuroki, deputy director of the hospital, said in an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun, “Covid-19-related hospital beds are always full. He said, “I am taking care of ordinary patients at the expense of them.” He said, “It is best to stop the Olympics.”
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