Japan sees record number of medical accidents in 2018

The Japan Council for Quality Health Care, which began compiling the records in 2005, said the latest figure shows the reporting of medical mishaps has taken root in the country.

Yikes. This means reporting of medical mishaps wasn't common before 2005.

The article would have been perfect if it had contained info. on the compensation the victims received.

I've always know that Japan and the Japanese are no different than other countries.... they were just better at hiding the dirty laundry. I think it gave them a false sense of superiority.

Saikopsycho

You’ve “always known” that, but I think that’s something only you and your brother know. If Japan is “just like other countries”... but was simply better at hiding it...well you wouldn’t have come to live here now would you?

The medical system should be improved, and made better for the people, yes absolutely. But Japan is still a pretty good place to get medical treatment, no need for your gloom and doom.

I am very happy with the system here. I have never had to be referred for a test, only to wait three to six months for a slot. Neither have I ever had to pay through the nose for an exam or operation, nor had to battle with private insurance companies to have coverage honoured. Costs are going up, admitted, and the older doctors tend to have a high sense of pride, but all aside it is not a bad system.

This is all due to the lack of medical staff. This country needs waaaay more doctors. Every time I go to the hospital I have to wait 2 hours because there is only 1 doc who needs to treat hundreds of patients in a short time span. They will rush the treatment and the quality of the service goes down.

In a country where clinics and hospitals close over the week end, is it really surprising ? I had to go to the ER on a sunday, arrived to a single nurse who told me there was no doctor or staff .Asked why she was there ; "to let people know"....

This could also be related to the McDonald’s minimalist health care system. You go to see a doctor, He/She gives you the most obvious diagnosis, prescribes a bunch of pills and tells you to come back next month. My experiences with Japanese doctors has been far from favorable. They are not thorough and just swing patients through on the revolving door.

Even though I work in the medical field, I always get 2nd opinions. At the moment health checks are cheap. I’ve had ultrasound, X-rays and mRI for the price of a pint in an Irish pub in town.

doctors are extremely overworked, fatigued, have no time for study and get their education from drug company reps. Pay is low compared to other countries.

How does this compare to other countries?

Agreed @ The article would have been perfect if it had contained info. on the compensation the victims received.

I have had experience with the US, the UK, and the Japanese medical systems. The Japanese is tops in ease of use and lack of long waits. The cost is moderate. The UK system is best in terms of cost for medical, very expensive for dental unless you want to wait until your teeth drop out. Waiting times for anything but life/death issues can be very long.

My experiences with Japanese doctors has been far from favorable. They are not thorough and just swing patients through on the revolving door.

Shop around. My doctor (a woman) is very thorough and gives detailed explanations.

In a country where clinics and hospitals close over the week end, is it really surprising?

I don’t know where you find clinics closed over the weekend. Most have Saturday hours. Hospitals come in several flavours in Japan. The same word is used for all of them unless you are into hospital management. I had to learn the terminology because last year I translated a book on the history of the hospital system in Japan.

There are two basic types of hospitals. Clinics with in patient facilities (aka beds) run by private practitioners. These will not be open on Sundays or holidays.

General hospitals with in patient facilities (beds) and out patient facilities (clinics) in one location. The clinic part will usually be closed on Sundays and holidays but the in patient part and the emergency facilities will be open.

The UK equivalent to Japanese clinics do not operate on Sunday or holidays in my experience. If you have a problem, you will need to go to an ER facility.

This country needs waaaay more doctors. Every time I go to the hospital I have to wait 2 hours because there is only 1 doc who needs to treat hundreds of patients in a short time span.

Find a private clinic. I’ve never had to wait more than 30 minutes.

But Japan is still a pretty good place to get medical treatment, no need for your gloom and doom.

Indeed, and the Japanese medical system gets very good international ratings in terms of quality of care and in terms of costs of service.  John Campbell, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Michigan, has written extensively on the subject and made very careful comparisons between Japan, the US, the UK, etc.

I have never had any bad experiences in terms of medical care, both in Japan and in the US. The cost of care is a totally different matter, however. I’m convinced that 95% of the doctors in Japan want to help people (the reason they went to medical school) and then perhaps make some money, whereas this ratio is the other way around in the US.

I'm involved with a group of 20 doctoors and sometimes plan group trips for them. Compared with other salaries qualified doctors are paid good salaries on average about ¥2 million per month. To date, I've had no problems with my healthcare.

Maybe because it's "you scratch their back they scratch yours"? Lol

Really though, in all the years I have been here, worked for 10 in a hospital system as well, I have no complaints.

But the reports here could also be in thanks to a better system being put into place and how accidents are defined. I know there have been plenty of accidents in the past, but many were covered up, and doctors and or hospitals paid compensation with things getting publicized, so in my opinion, it's going to be a few years before things level out.

qualified doctors are paid good salaries on average about ¥2 million per month

Really? Try less than half that with no overtime. Then there is the requirement to maintain your license, which is a point system. You have to pay travel costs and accommodation yourself, plus conference/seminar fees. One month about ¥150000 from your pocket. Then there is medical mistake insurance about ¥500000-1000000 a year. A single medical book costs about ¥30000. Before doctors could get some help from drug companies. Not now.

unless doctors can get positions outside big cities, it is now recommended doctors should be women, as they are easily be manipulated because of the baby factor, and they can marry out of their profession.

I am pretty sure this record number is because of recording being more open and accurate so it's a positive thing. There is always going to be accidents in the complicated system of medicine. Being open about them and learning from them is the only way to prevent accidents.

I shop around for doctors. I'm lucky enough I was able to find good and thorough doctors after just 2-3 times. I always ask my doctor to explain his diagnosis and treatment plan. If the doctor looks pissed off or irritated, I look for another one. Same goes with my dentist, if they try to clean my teeth every month or clean the top and bottom parts on separate appointments...then, goodbye.

I've never been to a hospital just for check up, always prefer the private clinics for this. I always call in advance to set an appoitnment to avoid the wait. If the clinic's reservation system sucks, I never come back.

As for the cost, I'm happy with the present system although it would be better if orthodontic treatments are also covered.

Healthcare systems in Japan & Korea (Explanation Problem through language), UK (Long Waiting Hours), US (Expensive), are all good but it depends upon the each doctors.

In UK, if u visit GP, and u have 3 problems, u are allowed to say just 1 problem in 10 mins and very long waiting hours almost 5 hours @ walk-in centre and Emergency Department.

There is no system for medical mistake compensation and a hospital will never admit it made a mistake. Even when they do pay, it will not be in their name.

To avoid a lawsuit and the bad publicity it would bring they may settle for a token amount. If it goes to trial the lawyers will take a very significant portion of any award. If a patient wins, the amount is calculated based upon accident compensation rates relative to your age and years of education – with number of days hospitalised, number of outpatient visits, and degree of disability as variables. No punitive concept is applied. And good luck in finding doctors who will take your side at court.

Your best bet is to convince them that you will sue and then settle for a negotiated amount based upon the accident compensation system.  See a lawyer to get the details and work out a number.

@thepersoniamnow... I moved here because my wife is Japanese and my children all live in Tokyo. I was not saying Japan was a terrible place... I was saying its just not as good as many think it is. Especially new comers to Japan. There are many incidents of Government entities omitting negative data. Osaka Police held back information on like 15,000 crimes.... they didn't not report them to statisticians for fear of getting a bad reputation. This happens too often. Companies fabricating data too. Japan is great.... but it is not as good as it tries to portray itself to be.