What do you think of the level of care in hospitals in Japan? Tell us about some of your experiences?

Re showchinmono above. You will need to show in advance how you will be paying, and if they do not like the answer some hospitals will probably refuse to take you, ("try somewhere else") especially as the system has been abused by non-Japanese in recent years. Even Japanese people may have trouble getting admitted and ambulance crews might have to drive around to find an open bed.

It might help to try and build an inside track with one hospital if you can, so you can carry a patient card, in advance of the day when some emergency comes knocking. (Spoken with experience.)

At least, it cannot be bad for Chinese " medical tour" travelers. It's disappointing Japanese health insurance system is being abused by those who visit through loop holes

Very very good. This is provided you actually get admitted to hospital.

Heard horror stories of emergency patients being turned away due to insufficient staff

My daughter caught pneumonia and spent a week in the hospital. It was 100% free and we got fantastic care start to finish.

People who work at hospitals and the medicine makers have to get paid. It wasn't free, you just didn't have to pay for it. The insurance company or someone else paid it.

I know someone who got kicked out of a hospital still in agony with a kidney stone, being told there was nothing more they could do except call a taxi to take them home. The person, still in agony, had to pay the cab driver in cash. 1 out of 100.

The excellence of health care in Japan is only surpassed by the size of the massive public debt that funds it!

In the States I read recently that some diabetics have to ration insulin and have even died from ketoacidosis. That is a disgusting situation with pharma companies taking advantage of the system.

Yeah, this was a theme in one of stories within this season's Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland.

Within the program they say big Pharms are rising the price of insulin even though the patent had expired a long time ago.

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Moreover Health Care costs are very fair.

1. (a) People in Japan pay on a sliding scale ( depending on salary - and there is a small service fee.

(b) You can augment that with other Insurances (like AFLAC ) which we did . And AFLAC , infact, pays you 10,000 YEN a day to cover hospital costs.

(c) YOu can also buy ACCIDENT INSURANCE that pays something 5000 YEN a day in the event of an accident

2. A person can self-refer ( not possible in many countries like Canada where one has to wait 2-3 months to see a specialist).

3. Medical tests , such as MRI, cAT Scan, Blood Tests are available the same day - or within 48 hours.

In Canada one has to wait as long a 6 months for an MRI, 4 weeks for a CAT Scan

4. Japan applies state of art medical practices- such as plastic needles - not used in many countries where steel needles are still used.

Japan's HEALTH CARE is in many respects unsurpassed

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Excellent !

Clinically thorough, highly professional, precise, clean, and state-of-art medical applications.

{Broke/ fractured the tibia requiring a 2 months stay in the hospital . Also had colonoscopy)

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Two recent in-patient experiences and both excellent. Full of gratitude to the Japanese health care system. 97/100

(Some of the difficult patients around me would not have scored anywhere near that high.)

I think the level of care in hospitals got far worse then ever here in Japan. Not nurses but doctors especially when treating elderly patients.

Apart from a scheduling disruption to which I was agreeable, my surgical experience was sweet.

If we're talking large hospitals, I've had only one experience. My daughter caught pneumonia and spent a week in the hospital. It was 100% free and we got fantastic care start to finish. Only thing we had to pay for was a cot so either my wife or I could sleep in more comfort at night. God knows what such care would have cost in the US, where health care is considered a privilege. That or they'd have given her some drugs and told us to care for her at home. Things were touch and go for a while and I'm happy she got the care she did.