The premium of "California Insurance" paid by car users will be used to finance the business to support the victims of accidents with severe disabilities requiring long-term care, and the related law amendment bill will be on the 25th. It is expected to be decided by the Cabinet.
If it is established, a system will be in place for users to support those who are affected by the shadow of the automobile society.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the number of fatalities in traffic accidents has been declining by 40% in the last 10 years, while the number of victims with serious disabilities requiring long-term care has remained unchanged at around 1200 every year. ..
For victims of severe disabilities, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is conducting support projects such as establishing specialized hospitals for medical treatment, but it is estimated that the reserve fund of the special account, which is the main source of revenue, will be exhausted in the next ten years. ..
The amendment to the law, which is expected to be approved by the Cabinet on the 25th, includes a revision of the compulsory automobile liability insurance system so that the portion of the insurance premium called "levy" can be used for financial resources such as victim support projects. increase.
The "levy" is currently used for the government to pay the same amount as the insurance money to the victims who cannot claim the insurance money due to a hit-and-run accident or an accident caused by an uninsured car. am.
The government intends to submit a bill to amend the law to the current ordinary session of the Diet and aim to pass it.
Estimated depletion of reserve fund for support projects
In the case of automobile liability insurance (automobile liability insurance), if the user pays the insurance company a premium and causes an accident, the insurance money is paid to the victim.
It is an old system that started in 1955, which requires users to contract by law so that all accident victims can get insurance money without falling asleep.
However, if the victim has a serious disability that requires long-term care, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will provide support such as payment of long-term care fees and maintenance of specialized hospitals, saying that insurance money alone will not be enough to make a living. I am.
The cost of the project is about 15 billion yen every year, and the reserve fund of the national special account is the main financial source, but the balance of this reserve fund is expected to be 144.1 billion yen at the end of next year, and the country is reiwa It is estimated that it will be exhausted in FY2008.
If the reserve fund is exhausted, it will be difficult to continue the support business, and some support is not fully supported at the current business scale, so the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has decided to cover the cost from the premium of the compulsory automobile liability insurance. rice field.
Specifically, we are considering increasing the levy from the next fiscal year onward, with the policy of allocating the portion of the compulsory automobile liability insurance called "levy" that is collected as part of the premium to the support business.
Since all users are obliged to pay the compulsory automobile liability insurance premium, careful discussions are continuing at the national review committee on the increase, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said, "We are considering the burden on users and doing business. I would like to shift to a system that can stably implement the above. "
Establishing a specialized hospital is also an issue such as the number of beds
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has four specialized hospitals nationwide to treat victims of "persistent consciousness disorder" who are unable to move or eat on their own due to a traffic accident.
The Chiba Nursing Center in Chiba City, which was opened in 1984, is the earliest of these, and currently about 70 people in their teens to 80s are hospitalized.
Inpatients have difficulty communicating due to the aftereffects of the accident and cannot complain of changes in their physical condition. Therefore, the number of nursing staff at the facility is the same as that of the acute care ward of a general hospital, and even slight changes can be confirmed. I'm taking.
In addition, we increase the frequency of taking CT images of the whole body and carry out treatment and rehabilitation tailored to each patient, such as diligently checking the degree of recovery of brain function and the presence of diseases such as cancer.
In order to provide such medical services, it is difficult to leave it to private hospitals alone because it is not possible to manage with ordinary medical fees.
In addition, the facility has been aging for nearly 40 years since its opening, the size of the rehabilitation room does not meet the current medical needs, and there are always victims waiting to be hospitalized.
The national government has seven private hospitals nationwide as outsourced beds so that they can receive treatment in the same manner as four specialized hospitals, but the regional bias in the number of beds is also an issue.
Shigeki Kobayashi, director of the Chiba Nursing Center, said, "In order to meet the needs of the victims, we must make major structural reforms, including rebuilding. Economical backup is absolutely necessary, but we I think we need a system to support all those who have been affected by the benefits of the car society that they are receiving. "
Victims with severe disabilities
Victims who have severe disabilities that require long-term care due to a traffic accident and parents who are in charge of long-term care are worried about the lack of rehabilitation facilities and "after the caregiver is absent."
Koichi Tokumasa (54) from Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, was living in a wheelchair 18 years ago due to a spinal cord injury in a highway accident that prevented him from moving down from his chest and left a numbness in his hand. ..
After leaving the hospital, I continued to rehabilitate at home, and now I can move from bed to wheelchair by myself if I take time, but because there are few specialized hospitals and facilities and I can not receive sufficient treatment. , It is said that we have to rely on home-centered rehabilitation.
A specialized hospital of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism also specializes in neurosurgery, and Mr. Tokusei said, "It is easy to think that spinal cord injury is a mild injury, but you can rehabilitate for many years and return to independent living. It is not in place, and I hope the country will do its utmost to promote independent living in the future. "
In addition, Yuji Kuwayama (65), who lives in Katano City, Osaka Prefecture, is a persistent consciousness disorder in which his second son, Atsushi (34), is hit by a car while crossing the road when he is in the second grade of elementary school and cannot move on his own. became.
Except for the time when Atsushi is using home-visit nursing care and day service, most of the day is spent at home with his wife Akiko (61), who is in charge of sucking and stretching. It's been 26 years since I started nursing care in Japan.
As I get older, I'm starting to think about when I can no longer take care of myself in the future, but there are many facilities such as group homes that can accept people who need medical care like Atsushi. The aspect is not enough, and how to support "after without a caregiver" has become a big issue.
Mr. Kuwayama said, "The reality that there are victims in the shadow of the automobile society is not well known. I hope that an environment will be created in which people with severe disabilities can live with peace of mind." I was talking.