Japanese Health Service

[MMM]

In my case it was misdiagnosis and unhygenic conditions.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by MMM

In my case it was misdiagnosis and unhygenic conditions.

Ouch. I guess it all depends on the doctor and hospital/clinic.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

Ouch. I guess it all depends on the doctor and hospital/clinic.

I know that the small local hospital had a poor reputation. They delivered babies, but everyone I knew said they went to the bigger ciry hospital for things like maternity care.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by MMM

I know that the small local hospital had a poor reputation. They delivered babies, but everyone I knew said they went to the bigger ciry hospital for things like maternity care.

Our local hospital looks like something out of a 1950s horror movie - but the care is top notch and my husband prefers to go there over heading to the ultra-new-but-emotionless-doctor clinic nearby.

I think the type of hospital you went to was one of the "People who can`t afford to pay for delivery go here for lowest level care" types. There are a couple of those in Nagoya. They`re supposedly 最低限 care, but they`ll fit everything in the 300,000 rebate with change left over. It seems like that`s all they really do, so the other care isn`t exactly great. There was a stellar example of this type of hospital near where we used to live.

We usually stick to small clinics (for normal and emergency care) and specialists (for any of the countless things we`re referred to specialists for).

I`ve personally had much better luck here with actually getting a proper diagnosis. Just a random example - I have a relatively rare skin condition on my toes and fingers which causes me to break out in tiny blisters if my hands and feet become either too moist or too dry. This has been going on since I was a baby. NEVER ONCE did any of the countless doctors we saw in the US actually bother testing it, and I went through elementary and middle school thinking that I had either severe athlete`s foot, or a "yeast infection" on my extremities. This was through 4 moves, going to 6 different doctors over a period of 10 years. All of this time I was told that I couldn`t take part in swimming, etc etc, as it would spread.

One visit in Japan and we know what it is, and get a special cream which totally eliminates it. They do a test and there is no bacteria or infection involved.

Not to mention that I was hit by a car, dislocated my knee, and fractured my ankle... But was told I was "just vying for attention", and that it was "just a bruise" when my mother took me to the emergency room in the US. When I still couldn`t stand up a week later, and was unable to sleep because of the pain, another doctor told us it was "just a strain" and that I was "overreacting for the attention."
We ended up waiting another week for an appointment at the children`s hospital, where they *FINALLY* noticed that I wasn`t just whining and were able to pop my knee back into place and put a splint on my ankle. Sucks though, as I still have knee and ankle pain from it to this day.

Doctors may often be cold and lack decent bedside manners here (it is getting better though recently - supposedly they`re cracking down on it or something.), but at least they usually give you decent care in the end. I could go on for days about the medical snafus and rip-offs I`ve experienced in the US. For Japan, I have 2 bad experiences out of literally thousands.

[jasonbvr]

My only suggestion on this subject is that:

If you are a foreigner coming to live and work in Japan and will be enrolling in the national health care system, enroll in it as soon as possible after you arrive. If you are using an international health care provider when you arrive and wish to switch after 3 months or a year, you will be charged for every month since you entered Japan regardless of the fact you did not use the national plan. Doesn't make a lot of sense, but Japanese bureaucracy does not obey logic.

You can find health care providers for foreigners on Gaijinpot.

[noodle]

I forgot to ask. How much do prescription medicines cost in general? In England, ALL medicine is the same price if it's prescribed by the doctor. Is this the same in Japan? I've already mentioned the French system, so I was wondering which group the Japanese system fits in.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by noodle

I forgot to ask. How much do prescription medicines cost in general? In England, ALL medicine is the same price if it's prescribed by the doctor. Is this the same in Japan? I've already mentioned the French system, so I was wondering which group the Japanese system fits in.

You pay a percentage of the government set price for the medication. The percentage you pay depends upon your age and how much your town/city contributes.

In the end, it is quite inexpensive, but I imagine if you are taking a lot of expensive medications it can add up.

[noodle]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

You pay a percentage of the government set price for the medication. The percentage you pay depends upon your age and how much your town/city contributes.

In the end, it is quite inexpensive, but I imagine if you are taking a lot of expensive medications it can add up.

Okay thanks. What I take every day is penicillin, so would doctors be able to give me a couple months of medication in one go?

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by noodle

Okay thanks. What I take every day is penicillin, so would doctors be able to give me a couple months of medication in one go?

If you have a condition which requires it over the long term, then yes, I imagine so.

[Henbaka]

Maybe I can steal this thread for a quick question.

If you have a perscription for some medicine in your (foreign country), how would you go about to get it in Japan? I'm not speaking of some weird drug that's restricted or so. Do they have the equivalent of pharmacies or something?

I'm sorry if maybe you think this question was just answered, but I'm not sure. Is there any problems using foreign perscriptions?