As a result of NHK's interviews with municipalities in eastern Hokkaido, where there are many areas where doctors are in short supply, many respondents said that it would be difficult to establish a system such as securing doctors for vaccination against the new coronavirus.
There are also concerns about compatibility with ordinary medical care, and the issue is how to support areas with few doctors.
Regarding the vaccine for the new coronavirus, the government will start targeting medical professionals as much as possible from the end of this month, and from April 1st, the local government will secure an inoculation system for doctors and others with the intention of inoculating elderly people. It is supposed to be.
When NHK asked 13 local governments in the Kushiro and Nemuro regions of eastern Hokkaido, where there are many areas where doctors are in short supply, about the status of preparations, they answered that they were "insufficient" or "strict" in securing doctors.
Regarding the doctors responsible for inoculation, Rausu Town has a population of about 4,700 and one full-time doctor, Hamanaka Town has a population of about 5,700 and one physician, and Shibetsu Town has a population of about 5,100 and one physician. It means that there are only 3 people.
In addition, based on the fact that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is requesting that elderly people aged 65 and over receive the necessary two vaccinations in about three months, the current system will be used within three months. When asked if it could be completed, many municipalities indicated that they were "difficult" and "uneasy".
Although it is permitted to set up a joint vaccination site with neighboring municipalities, no one was considering joint vaccination because of the large area and the distance from each other.
In addition, some municipalities have expressed concern that "if doctors concentrate on vaccination, they will have to take a break from regular medical examinations," and how to provide wide-area support to areas with few doctors. It is an issue.
"It is quite difficult to inoculate 3000 people with 3 doctors."
Shiranuka Town, which has a population of about 7,500 in eastern Hokkaido, does not have a public medical institution in the town, and three physicians work in private clinics.
As it is difficult for other local governments to secure a vaccination system and it is difficult to ask for support, we decided to set up a system by the town alone.
In order to achieve compatibility with normal medical care, two out of three physicians in the town are in charge of vaccination, and one is considering doing normal medical care, and preparations are underway with a limited medical system. I will.
In addition to holding three public facilities in the town as venues for mass inoculation, we are also constructing new electrical equipment in the warehouse inside the government office to set up a dedicated freezer for storing vaccines at ultra-low temperatures.
However, even with these preparations, it is uncertain at this point whether the inoculation of about 3,000 elderly people in the town can be completed in three months.
Ikuko Futashiki, chief of the Long-term Care and Health Division, who is in charge of vaccination, said, "I think it is quite difficult to inoculate 3000 people with 3 doctors. It can be inoculated depending on when the vaccine arrives and the number of vaccines. Since the number of people is limited, the issue is how many times we have to organize group vaccinations on a schedule. "
Some towns seek support from outside the town
In Rausu Town, located on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido, there is only one full-time doctor working in a clinic for a population of about 4,700.
On the other hand, there are about 1,500 elderly people in the town, and if one doctor is completely vaccinated, there are concerns about the impact on normal medical care.
For this reason, the town decided to seek the support of a doctor from outside the town, and so far it has been decided to dispatch a doctor from Nakashibetsu Town, which is about 50 kilometers away.
However, in order to balance normal medical care and vaccination, we are seeking support from Sapporo City, which is 450 km away, and Kushiro City, which is 150 km away, saying that another person is needed.
Makoto Kijima, the only doctor in the town and the Shiretoko Rausu National Health Insurance Clinic, said, "Usually there is only one full-time doctor, and I think it is impossible to get rid of all the vaccines by itself. I hope there is assistance. "