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Japanese medical culture and rules

知っておきたい！日本の医療文化とルール

2019/03/13 Wednesday Health, Medical Care and Welfare

【Japanese medical culture and rules】

  • In most Japanese clinics and hospitals, the consultations are done on a first-come-first-served basis. Therefore, you may have to wait for 1 to 2 hours.
  • In dentistry, the reservation system is common. Clinics and hospitals also needs reservations.
    http://mieinfo.com/ja/jouhou/kenkou/dentist-japan/index.html
  • Please tell the receptionist, nurse etc. in advance, the availability of your schedule and restrictions for treatment due to religious reasons, allergies, work schedules etc.
  • We must observe the reservation time and visiting hours.
  • There are places in the hospital where mobile phones should not be used. Check with the hospital staff when you want to use it.

【Things necessary for consultation】

  • Health insurance card
  • Residence card (ID card)
  • Medicine’s that you have been taking
  • Letters of introduction (if you have one)
  • Medical expenses are mainly paid by cash. Credit cards can be used in some places.

【For safe medical care】

  • If you are worried about the language, please use the interpreting service. If the service is not available, you should be proficient in Japanese or ask a reliable adult to be your interpreter.

[Medical institutions with medical interpreter]
http://mieinfo.com/ja/jouhou/kenkou/tsuyaku-hospital-2019/index.html

  • It is also important to ask the doctor for an explanation about the medical examination results, medicine etc. until you can understand it.
  • In order to receive medical treatment with peace of mind, it is important to use a consultation agency or a medical social worker.
  • “Multilingual medical questionnaire form” “Multilingual examination application form” is available. Those who can not explain symptoms or medical history in Japanese, it will be useful to fill in beforehand and bring it during the consultation.

「多言語医療問診票」（国際交流ハーティ港南台、かながわ国際交流財団）”Multilingual Medical Questionnaire” (International exchange, Kanagawa International Foundation)
http://www.kifjp.org/medical/index.html (18 languages)

[Multilingual examination application form] (AMDA International Medical Information Center)

http://amda-imic.com/oldpage/amdact/PDF/jap/pl-shinsatsu-j.pdf (Japanese)
http://amda-imic.com/oldpage/amdact/PDF/por/pl-shinsatsu-p.pdf (Portuguese)
http://amda-imic.com/oldpage/amdact/PDF/spa/pl-shinsatsu-s.pdf (Spanish)
http://amda-imic.com/oldpage/amdact/PDF/fil/pl-shinsatsu-f.pdf (Filipino)
http://amda-imic.com/oldpage/amdact/PDF/chi/pl-shinsatsu-c.pdf (Chinese)
http://amda-imic.com/oldpage/amdact/PDF/eng/pl-shinsatsu-e.pdf (English)

*Please use it at your own risk.

【Pharmacy】

  • If you receive a prescription at a medical institution, go to a dispensing pharmacy.
  • The prescription has an expiration date.

*This article was prepared mainly with reference to “Multilingual Living Information” (Local Government Internationalization Association) 「多言語生活情報」（一般財団法人自治体国際化協会）

For more information, please see here:
http://www.clair.or.jp/tagengorev/ja/f/index.html

*Please see the following site as well.

“Medical Guidebook for Foreigners” (Center for Multicultural Society Kyoto)「外国人のための医療ガイドブック」（多文化共生センターきょうと）
https://www.tabunkakyoto.org/%E5%A4%9A%E8%A8%80%E8%AA%9E%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99/ (Easy Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean)

“Telephone Consultation about Tuberculosis for Foreigners” (Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association)「外国人結核電話相談」(公益財団法人結核予防会)
http://www.jata.or.jp/outline_support.php#jump4 (Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.)

http://www.jata.or.jp Top page of The Research Institute of Tuberculosis (結核研究所のトップページ)

↑↑ Next Information ↑↑

Let’s use the insurance card correctly!

2019/03/13 Wednesday Health, Medical Care and Welfare

保険証は正しく使おう！

[Japanese Public Medical Insurance]

  • In Japan, it is obligatory for all people to join some sort of public medical insurance so as to alleviate their economic burden when they are sick or injured and to receive treatment with peace of mind. This is called “Kokumin Kai Hoken Seido”.
  • There are two major types of public medical insurance in Japan.

Health Insurance (Kenko Hoken): People working in companies and establishments must join this insurance. The joining procedure is done at the company or office where you are working. Please contact your place of employment.

National Health Insurance (Kokumin Kenko Hoken): A person who cannot join the health insurance should join. The procedures will be done at the municipal city office of your residence.

  • There are treatments that are not covered by the insurance such as traffic accident and childbirth.
  • You cannot lend or borrow or buy and sell the insurance cards.

[Notification is required at times like this]

  • When you retire or stop working from a company or office (You cannot use your health insurance card from the day after your retirement. Please return your health insurance certificate promptly and switch to national health insurance)
  • You can withdraw from the National Health Insurance (when you join the health insurance at work)
  • When you lose your insurance card or when it gets dirty
  • When a child is born
  • When the head of household changes
  • When the insured person died
  • When the address changes
  • When you move overseas

※This article was prepared mainly with reference to “Multilingual Living Information” (Local Government Internationalization Association)「多言語生活情報」（一般財団法人自治体国際化協会）

For more information please see here.
http://www.clair.or.jp/tagengorev/ja/f/index.html

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