Doctors, Doctors, Doctors!

In Japan, the shortage of doctors is a serious problem. Many doctors working in hospitals, especially pediatricians, obstetricians and anesthetists, are forced to work extraordinarily long hours. They are so busy that they always have difficulty finding time to have a meal. Many of them don't have time to spend with their families, or even have a good sleep. Countless local hospitals were forced to close for not being able to recruit enough doctors. As a result, areas where there isn't a nearby hospital are increasing.

Despite the harsh working environment, many doctors are doing their best to save as many lives as they can. I really appreciate them. On the other hand, I often hear of terrible doctors who make patients feel like these doctors just want to earn money. My friends who are nurses or pharmacists always complain about doctors, saying that there are some doctors who don't have enough knowledge or don't try to examine patients seriously. My friends who are doctors working in hospitals often feel disappointed with the young residents at the hospital, saying that some of them are half-hearted about becoming doctors and don't have a passion for saving lives.

These days, I often hear that students who are doing very well in prestigious high schools generally head for medical schools (strictly speaking, in Japan, the medical department in universities) just because their academic results are high enough to challenge the most difficult entrance examinations for medical schools. They and their parents think that a doctor is just a stable job with a higher salary, not thinking about whether or not they really want to become doctors or about the fact that doctors deal with human lives. Although I can't explain it very well, every time I hear of these kinds of things, I feel like there is something wrong with it.

When you are sick in Japan, you can go to any hospital and clinic you want, which means that if the medical service provided is the same, the fee you have to pay at the hospital is the almost the same as the fee for clinics. In my experience, the fee that I paid for treatment at a university hospital was cheaper than that of a clinic even though the hospital provided a little better medical service. Today, although hospitals that are designated as advanced treatment hospitals require you to hand in a reference written by a doctor, you can still receive medical treatments there if you pay an extra 5000 Yen. (around 50 US$).