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Fire departments discuss how paramedics can speed up Japan's vaccine drive

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Really? The delay in vaccine rollout is caused by a lack of licenses?

And they just started discussing the problem?

13 ( +17 / -4 )

I suggest that local animal doctors join the rollout. They are also well-informed of infectious diseases as many viruses are transmitted from animals to humans.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

In an effort to speed things up, the government has already conditionally allowed trainee doctors and dentists to join qualified doctors and nurses in administering shots.

Note that the Japan Medical Association was a resistant group who are sabotaging the speedy rollout.

「打ち手に歯科医」立ちはだかった医師会、領域侵され拒否反応…[政治の現場]ワクチン<4>

https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20210527-OYT1T50325/

They are also reluctant or opposed to allowing paramedics, med technicians or anyone to "intrude" their privileges or sacred areas.

Besides the vax rollout, the Association member hospitals have remained uncooperative with regard to provision of beds and equipment for severe covid patients despite the state request and public outcry.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

These are things they should have figured out 6 months ago.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

some paramedics were more cautious, saying that since giving injections is an unfamiliar task for them, the government needs to create an environment in which they can feel confident in joining the inoculation drive

And

> Some 40,000 of the 64,000 certified paramedics in the country are employed by fire departments, with around 12,000 of them working in non-medical areas.

sigh.......only in Japan.

is the word “paramedic” just a “Japanese-Engrish” word that has a completely different meaning?

Definition of ****paramedic

: a person who works in a health field in an auxiliary capacity to a physician (as by giving injections and taking X-rays)

: a specially trained medical technician licensed to provide a wide range of emergency services (such as defibrillation and the intravenous administration of drugs) before or during transportation to a hospital

I once witnessed an older man having some kind of serious relapse or something at the Eki one day. In typical Japanese fashion, people were just passing by ignoring him, or giving him a double take.

I was late for work myself, but knowing and seeing everyone not do anything. I couldn’t just leave him there, so I talked to him, he kept saying, get me an ambulance.

I kid you not, the operator on 119 was a complete waste of time. She kept asking useless questions. She kept asking where the place was, where we were at. I kept telling her, the second floor of the eki in front of the mr. donuts. There was only one mr donuts on the second floor. Impossible to miss. I spent like ten minutes yelling at her, just saying, stop asking questions, just get down here!

I find our, the paramedics are LATE, because, they couldn’t “find parking” and they “didn’t know” where the mr donuts were. This is a small town mind you, and there’s not many mr donuts or eki’s in it. It’s really difficult not to know such things.

so the paramedics FINALLY arrive. And they start asking me all these questions, that only the old man could answer! I was like, why are you asking me? Ask him!

after about 5 minutes of appearing clueless, they finally get to work. And I finally leave. Idk what happened to them, but by the time I got back, they were gone.

So as much as I want to get vaxxed like everyone else. And would like to see all who can, be involved, medically. I’m not sure, anyone can “trust” the “paramedics” in Japan. Something tells me they are either the rookies or the rejects who couldn’t make it into the medical fields. Proceede with caution.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

And this

For instance, a 31-year-old male paramedic in Osaka Prefecture wants the government to determine "who would take responsibility in case of an accident."

An “accident” giving a simple shot into muscle? Don’t even have to find a vein? That does not inspire confidence. A Paramedic is worried about his skill level and needs assurance that he won’t get in trouble?

He is in the wrong profession. How on earth do these people get licences.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

For instance, a 31-year-old male paramedic in Osaka Prefecture wants the government to determine "who would take responsibility in case of an accident

this.........this is what makes japan a joke.

All anyone cares about is NOT being held responsible for anything. The questions is always. “Who’s in charge?”

10 ( +11 / -1 )

some paramedics were more cautious, saying that since giving injections is an unfamiliar task for them, the government needs to create an environment in which they can feel confident in joining the inoculation drive.

What kind of Paramedic is unfamiliar with giving a needle? It’s probably one of the most basic tasks. What kind of training certification for a Paramedic licence skips the use of needles?

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Not surprised. Another discussion, after a long delay.

And the conclusion is obvious. There is no conclusion.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Here it is again - the magic word - "consider" - so sick and tired to seeing this - for a change wish I can see some real action and decisions leading to execution of mass vaccinations - at least I can dream.....

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Everyone can be thought in 15 min how to give an intramuscular injection. I think though only nurses should extract the vaccin from the bottle and prepare the needles.

yet, Japan is all about blablabla and that is why , to my very regret, this country is in an unrecoverable nosedive. Love the country but staying blind and silent does not help. Japan will come up to a year after all other economies out of this problem. The waste of energy on the olympics is not helpful.

I am looking at Portugal and Greece to live. Not more efficient surely but more common sense at least.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Just have a team in site to take care of emergencies and you can have even regular people doing the vaccination. People are dying every day from the disease that could have been protected by vaccines, this is not time to be exaggeratedly cautious.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

MotMotMotToday  08:29 am JST

These are things they should have figured out 6 months ago.

My sister works on the admin side of a local health centre in the UK. They started thinking, considering and planning last summer. Then they used the plan to build a drive through vaccine centre in the car park. This was ready to use for the flu jabs, which allowed them to iron out the problems. She used to think I was joking when I explained what is happen here.

We need better here and quickly now it could become a free for all when we all receive our vaccine tickets at the same time. More people here need to be allowed to think out of the box to get the more staff and facilities up and running. Personally I have no problem with people like vets being used.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Can’t the government see how this shambles is being viewed abroad? For a country that is obsessed on how others rate it Japan PLC is causing disbelief and dismay around the world. Not good for business.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

They will finish there discussions and reach group agreement by 2025.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

What more can I say that hasn't already been said.

Months late, and again thinking about it, discussing, etc ..

All of it how, when, where, who, should have been figured out last fall before the vaccine was even put up for approval.

Here we are 4 months in and they are still trying to figure out more than half of what is needed.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Don't underestimate the potential for things to go terribly wrong here. I once saw a trained nurse squeeze an IV bag because it wasn't flowing into the patient properly. The poor guy screamed in pain so hard, it was heard throughout the hospital.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I’ll better just do it myself and on my own. There are enough cases of wrong cooling or storage, doses out of date, wrongly mixed concentrates and solutions, the wrong vaccine type applied and a lot more of similarly crazy stories. Even without such a license it is very difficult to do it more wrong or as just as wrong than all those ‘license’ bearers already do. lol

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Instead of washing and polishing these fire truck all day long, how about helping the local hospitals vaccinating!! LOL

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"" should be encouraged to step forward.""

How about should be ORDERED to carry out the duty of vaccinating.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Time to involve convenience stores.

Convenies are usually close together so they could post a paramedic near clusters of stores. Start training civilians to give shots. Japan could be fully vaccinated in a 100 days.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Signs that policy makers are finally starting to think laterally. Although very late to the party, this kind of creativity should be welcomed.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

"It is our duty to help out as much as possible," he said."

Well said.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

I think at this point, its safe to say it would have been faster to train a few thousand unemployed people on how to inoculate someone, or, fly in a few hundred Israeli nurses or doctors because haven't they already inoculated everyone? (The Jewish citizens anyways)

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

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