Coming to Japan for it's medical care.

Interesting story here:

Tim Bateman leaves NZ rugby with heavy heart - Rugby News | TVNZ

I know many Japanese who have returned home for medical treatment but the this is the first time I've heard of a Gaijin heading there for healthcare reasons. It paints a poor picture of health coverage in New Zealand.

This is really interesting. Of course, I don't know how good or bad the health coverage in New Zealand is, but I know that for anything severe I wouldn't feel comfortable being treated here in Japan.

zoomingjapan said:

This is really interesting. Of course, I don't know how good or bad the health coverage in New Zealand is, but I know that for anything severe I wouldn't feel comfortable being treated here in Japan.

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Have you had some bad experiences with Doctors or hospitals in Japan?

Actually, yes. I need to go to the hospital and doctors regulary, so I wrote a detailed blog post about my experience with medical care in Japan.

I'm sure there are good doctors in Japan as well. I've even met a few. But it's extremely difficult to find good ones, especially in the countryside. I just cannot afford travelling all the way to a big city every few weeks.

Compared to my home country, Germany, I find the Japanese health care system a bit worse.

I've had issues with medical treatment here on a minor scale, but not on a major scale.

A lot of companies with foreign contract workers insist they go to a clinic or hospital if they want to call in sick. It's a form of discrimination, but it's fair to say that some people do fake a sick day when they have been out drinking the whole night before or something, and this cuts that out. Anyway, I've been to many clinics for cold and flu and every time been given a pile of medicine that was dubious at best, especially since there is no cure for colds. I think because of the fees, they develop a habit of prescribing things to show they're doing something. In Canada, where there is no money involved in medicine between the patient and the doctor, the main prescription tends to be rest.

But, I have had some great experiences here too. My daughter was born severely underweight, and had to check into the PICU. The doctor didn't over-promise things, but gave realistic expectations, and the staff gave her great care. A few weeks later, she came home. Another time, a few years back, I sliced off the tip of my thumb, and a nearby clinic gave great care. They did the minimum necessary. No stitches, just well placed surgical tape, and some things to keep it from getting infected. Four weeks later, it was mostly healed.

In those two cases, I was incredibly impressed with the care, and not too put off by the price. It's the little things in hospitals and clinics here that really get to me.

zoomingjapan said:

Actually, yes. I need to go to the hospital and doctors regulary, so I wrote a detailed blog post about my experience with medical care in Japan.

I'm sure there are good doctors in Japan as well. I've even met a few. But it's extremely difficult to find good ones, especially in the countryside. I just cannot afford travelling all the way to a big city every few weeks.

Compared to my home country, Germany, I find the Japanese health care system a bit worse.

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I've just read your link ... very interesting ... I hope you've found a Doctor / hospital your happy with, seeing that you have to make regular visits.

I know that the German Health system is up there with the very best in the world, so most countries probably fall short in comparison.

During my decade in Japan I was quite lucky with my health ... only three illnesses one of which required a minor operation. All good experiences once I got over the little idiosyncrasies of each doctor / clinic. I found the dentists very strange, as you did .... I wasn't comfortable sitting in the surgery with patients being treated to my right and left!!

Your website is great ... a wealth of information. I will spend more time reading it in the next month or so as I will be moving back to Japan in July.

nahadef;738857... Another time said:

I sliced off the tip of my thumb[/B], and a nearby clinic gave great care. They did the minimum necessary. No stitches, just well placed surgical tape, and some things to keep it from getting infected. Four weeks later, it was mostly healed.
In those two cases, I was incredibly impressed with the care, and not too put off by the price. It's the little things in hospitals and clinics here that really get to me.

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You won't believe this but a friend of mine had the exact same accident - sliced of the tip of his thumb while preparing dishes at my place! Was promptly treated with calcium though.

Anyway, my wife was pregnant when we first came to Japan (Tokyo in particular) and we were somewhat skeptical at the beginning. Our first pleasant surprise was how friendly the doctors (and fluent in English) were at the hospital we settled on (University of Tokyo Hospital). The cost was also significantly lower than in our home country, thanks to the National Health Insurance we all need to have here in Japan.

After my daughter was born, it was even more incredible. She had some jaundice, minor heart issue and stiff pelvic joints. This meant tonnes of xrays, blood tests, ultrasounds and what not. We didn't have to pay a single cent thanks to the iryousho. To top things off, we were given a lump sum for her birth and 15,000 yen a month till she turns 16.

Personally, I had some breathing issues and went to the nearest ENT clinic near my home. Surprise, surprise. State-of-the-art medical equipment and another doctor fluent in English. Got my scope done on the spot.

If there's anything to complain about... it would be the over-cautiousness of medical practitioners. They tend to do many tests to rule stuff out. Another small complaint would be the emergency system. We have to make a call to hospital, to ensure that a suitable doctor is in, even for A&E. And usually in an emergency, my Japanese phone conversation skill deteriorates very quickly.

Actually medical tourism to Japan is on the rise! There is an entire site dedicated to it Medical Tourism Info - Hospitals, Dentists & Health News | HealthyIM I found it when I was looking for a english speaking dentist in Tokyo. It must be a new site because I didn't find it when I lived in Japan in 2008. It has a feature for searching for english speaking hospitals in Japan so I'd say its pretty neat for expats too

I have too many freaky experiences with Japanese doctors to recommend them to anyone. Some have been good and some have been bad, but I tell you, bedside manner was ALWAYS lacking. I felt more like a car visiting a mechanic than a person visiting a doctor. I feel the need to make my own final decision on what will be done, but the docs here are not too keen to tell you anything.

Plus they want to sell you medicine and x-rays you don't need. First time I went to a J doc, upon leaving I was given some pills. I asked what they were and what they were for. The nurse says, these are blue pills and these are the red pills. I took them home and said, this is the trash can.