Training System to Start for Medical Workers Aboard Hospital Ships, Vessels to Be Dispatched to Disaster-Hit Areas

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:11 JST, November 23, 2025

The government will begin a training system from next fiscal year for doctors and nurses who will work on government-managed hospital ships that provide assistance during major disasters, as operations on such vessels are set to start in January.

The purpose of the training is to have medical personnel become accustomed in advance to the special circumstances on these ships so they can adequately perform their duties.

By sharing information about those who will have received the training with prefectural governments, the central government aims to swiftly secure medical workers necessary for initial dispatches when a disaster occurs.

Hospital ships are dispatched to ports near areas hit by major disasters, and they are used to treat injured people aboard the vessels and transport patients to other medical facilities outside a disaster-affected area.

The government initially plans to charter private-sector car ferries for the operations. By the end of this year, it aims to sign contracts for the plan with shipping companies.

The interior of a ship differs from that of a typical hospital due to its having many turns and narrow passageways that alter the movement patterns of medical personnel.

Also, the number of medicines and the amount of medical equipment that can be stored in the ships is limited.

To work aboard hospital ships, doctors and nurses are required to acquaint themselves with the different circumstances for performing duties such as transporting patients.

They also need to be careful about and aware of the ways to use medicines and equipment with as little waste as possible when they treat patients.

Therefore, the government decided to create a specialized training system for working aboard hospital ships.

The government will solicit medical workers to undergo the training from among members of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) nationwide and emergency medical aid teams of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

The government then plans to increase the number of trainees within the next four to five years.

By registering a sizable number of trained medical workers in advance, the government aims to be able to dispatch hospital ships anytime when a disaster occurs.

Calls for the introduction of such vessels increased in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a bill was passed to establish a law for promoting the use of hospital ships.

According to an estimate made in the 2020 fiscal year, building a new hospital ship that can accommodate 500 inpatient beds will cost about ¥43 billion.

For the time being, the government aims to charter private-sector ferries and pay usage fees when a disaster occurs.

The plan is to set up tents with hospital beds in them on a ship’s vehicle deck.

In the future, the government plans to possess its own dedicated hospital ships.