Reservation for vaccination with the new coronavirus has begun to be accepted at "family" medical institutions in Hyogo Prefecture.
However, due to the ambiguous definition of "family", there are cases where medical institutions cannot accept reservations.
Amagasaki City encourages elderly people aged 65 and over who wish to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus, if they are vaccinated by a "family" medical institution, to make a reservation there first.
However, because the definition of "family" is ambiguous, even if the elderly think that it is "family", the medical institution judges that it does not correspond to "family" because a certain period of time has passed since the last consultation date. I found that there are cases where reservations are not accepted.
Under these circumstances, Amagasaki City is considering to announce the medical institutions that are accepting new people as soon as consent is obtained.
Takaki Enami, chief of Amagasaki City, said, "I feel that the information provided to the citizens and medical institutions is not sufficient and I feel responsible. I will not change the expression of" family "in the future, but I would like to make improvements." I'm talking.
Unexpected situation
From the 10th of this month, Amagasaki City has begun accepting reservations for the new coronavirus vaccine for approximately 130,000 elderly people aged 65 and over.
If you wish to have a "family" medical institution, you should make an appointment when you see the doctor. On the other hand, if you do not have a "family" or do not visit a medical institution on a regular basis, , I am going to get a mass inoculation.
However, the city did not anticipate cases where the medical institution did not think that it was a "family" even if the elderly thought it was "family", or cases where the "family" was in an adjacent municipality, such as living on the border of the city. Things are happening too.
The definition of "family" Japan Medical Association
At the Japan Medical Association, "family doctors" can "consult anything, be familiar with the latest medical information, introduce specialists and specialized medical institutions when necessary, and take charge of familiar and reliable community medical care, health, and welfare. It is defined as "a doctor with comprehensive ability".
However, there is no stipulation on the frequency and number of consultations, the period since the last consultation, etc.
The woman who refused the reservation
A 78-year-old woman in Amagasaki City who wanted to receive individual vaccines was confused when she was refused an appointment by a medical institution that she thought was "family".
The woman wanted to receive individual vaccinations at a nearby medical institution because the mass vaccination venue set by Amagasaki City was far away.
In the case of individual vaccination, the city is calling for consultation with the "family" first.
The woman thought that the nearby clinic she was visiting would be a "family member" at a pace of about once every two months for the past year, but it was closed recently. For this reason, I made an inquiry on the 10th of this month, thinking that another clinic that I used to go to about once a month until about two years ago might be close to "family".
However, the person in charge at this clinic refused to make an appointment, saying, "You are not a family patient and cannot handle it."
When I was in trouble because I had no other choice, I heard from a relative that there is a clinic where even new people can make reservations, and it was a clinic that I had never visited, but when I contacted him, he said that he was able to make a reservation. That is.
A woman said, "I don't know how often I should use the medical institution when I say'family'. I think there are circumstances on the receiving side, but elderly people are already anxious, so at which medical institution I am vaccinated. I would like you to let me know in advance if you can inoculate. "