While the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in Japan is orders of magnitude smaller than in Western countries, the tightness of beds to accept patients has become a problem.

Under these circumstances, there are opinions that private hospitals, which accept less patients, should accept more patients, but experts say that while Japan has a large number of beds, there are few doctors who can handle it, and facilities are not available. Since there are many small hospitals that are not well-organized, it is difficult to accept new corona patients, and there are structural issues.

In Japan, the number of beds per 1,000 people is 13.0, which is the largest among the member countries of the OECD = Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which is significantly higher than Germany's 8.0 beds, the United States' 2.9 beds, and the United Kingdom's 2.5 beds. There are many.



On the other hand, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, as of the end of November last year, 25% of hospitals reported that they could accept patients with the new coronavirus, of which 21% of private hospitals had beds in the acute phase. As the sickbeds become more tight, there are voices saying that they should be accepted at private hospitals.



Regarding the current situation where acceptance is difficult at private hospitals, Professor Toshiki Mano of Chuo University, who is familiar with the medical care provision system, said that 80% of the 8,300 hospitals in Japan are private and doctors are dispersed in small hospitals. He points out the problem that the number of doctors that can be handled at each hospital is small and that the facilities for infection control are not sufficient.



Furthermore, in Japan, the length of hospital stay for patients is 16.1 days, which is the longest in the OECD, which is more than double that of 7.5 days in Germany, 5.9 days in the United Kingdom, 5.5 days in the United States, and so on. While making it easier for patients with chronic illnesses to be hospitalized, mainly in private hospitals, we have made it easier to access medical care, while dealing with patients with the new corona virus who need to be examined by many medical staff while taking measures against infection. He points out that there are difficult and structural issues.



Professor Mano said, "In Japan, medical care is familiar and we can receive treatment for a long period of time, and it has become a form suitable for detailed treatment of lifestyle-related diseases that are common in cancer, stroke, and the elderly. However, it is difficult to deal with the new corona because medical resources are dispersed. It should be possible to centralize the medical care of the new corona by establishing more dedicated hospitals when the wave of infection comes before. It was. "



On top of that, as a future measure, "I think that advanced treatment is difficult in a small private hospital, but we can adequately handle the treatment of patients who have recovered after a long time from the onset. The division of roles should be clarified. "