To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Disasters that cause significant damage occur almost every year. If sea routes can be utilized to provide medical support across Japan, which is an island nation, it would broaden options for aid. It is hoped that preparations will be accelerated to realize this idea.
From next fiscal year, the government plans to start operating a hospital ship during times of disaster, the spread of infectious diseases and other events. The ship is envisaged to have medical devices, hospital beds and doctors and nurses to treat and transport disaster victims.
The need for a hospital ship has been repeatedly pointed out since the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake but not realized due to large construction costs. However, calls for the introduction of such a ship have grown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and lawmaker-sponsored legislation intended to put a hospital ship into service was enacted in June this year.
For the time being, the government reportedly plans to rent private car ferries during disasters, bringing in medical equipment and using passenger cabins as spaces for hospital beds, rather than launching a dedicated ship.
In the case a hospital ship is put into operation, decisions must be made in advance regarding procedures for what medical equipment is needed and where medical personnel are gathered from, among other matters. It is hoped that training will be conducted thoroughly to prevent delays in response at a time of emergency.
Looking abroad, the militaries of some countries have hospital ships. The U.S. Navy operates a hospital ship with 1,000 beds.
In the case of Japan, the premise for a hospital ship is that it will be used in times of disaster, so careful consideration is required as to whether it is necessary for it to be equipped with an operating room and intensive care unit.
In recent years, there has been a demand for medical assistance during disasters, such as transporting inpatients and elderly people living at nursing homes to other areas by ambulance.
In disasters, roads are often cut off, making it difficult to transport patients by land. There have also been concerns about the impact of power outages and water cutoffs on hospitals in disaster-hit areas. An influx of injured people at hospitals may also make it impossible for doctors and other staff to care for inpatients.
Under such circumstances, being able to use a hospital ship in a flexible manner would be significant.
Additionally, when elderly people are transferred to hospitals outside disaster areas to prevent disaster-related deaths, there is a risk that their condition may worsen during the transfer. A hospital ship would enable many patients to be transferred while receiving treatment from doctors.
There has already been a case where a nonprofit organization providing disaster relief assistance has introduced a ship for medical use on its own initiative. The government should also consider a system for cooperating with such private organizations.
In the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, major roads were blocked, and the coastline rose, making it impossible for people to use local ports.
If ports in a disaster-hit area are damaged, using ports in neighboring prefectures is one option. It is hoped that the central and prefectural governments will discuss and draw up operational plans in advance, considering every possible scenario.
