Emergency Medical Care In Japan

Obeika, your blatant disrespect for that hospital rules is why the medical system is getting worse all the time. If you think treating patients for free is fine then so be it, but the government does not emburse hospitals as much as you would like to believe. So of corse they are going to want you to pay for things like TV and electricity. Just b/c we don't expect that at home does not mean we can bring those ideas here. If you don't want to pay those prices , don't watch TV.

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Excuse me where did I write anywhere that I "blantantly" disregarded any so called rules? Just because I choose not to purchase a television card is in no way a disregard for any rules.

Those "rules" that you claim are set by individual hospitals and not by the government. Why is it necessary to expect a patient to pay an exorbitant amount of money just to watch a TV?

There is no where either that I said that the government or any hospital will or should treat a patient for free.

It was because I "knew" what was allowable or otherwise that allowed me as a patient not to get ripped off by the hospital that I was a patient at.
In the long run I ended up saving long term patients quite a bit of money, the hospitals in question were only concerned with their making a profit no matter where the money came from.

The hospital "rules" that you claim are only there to create a profit for said hospital. There is no law that says otherwise.

I was in traction for nearly one entire month, and there was nothing else to do but watch the damn TV or count the number holes in the ceiling tiles. I paid their monthly electricity bill, and we were both satitisfied at the outcome.

You sit/lay in a hospital bed with nothing else to do but watch a TV and then come back here and tell me that I should be forced to pay exorbitant prices for a damn TV card.

Dont watch TV, ok next time you have the chance sit in traction with ABSOLUTELY nothing to do, now where to go, or nowhere to move, with diapers on your *** because you can't friggin' move a friggin' inch because if you did you would be paralyzed for friggin' life.

Do that for almost a month and then tell me not to watch TV. There is no "law" that says I broke any rules.

Next time I'll send you the bill for the TV. I've been there dude it aint fun.

Obeika said:

Excuse me where did I write anywhere that I "blantantly" disregarded any so called rules? Just because I choose not to purchase a television card is in no way a disregard for any rules.
Those "rules" that you claim are set by individual hospitals and not by the government. Why is it necessary to expect a patient to pay an exorbitant amount of money just to watch a TV?There is no where either that I said that the government or any hospital will or should treat a patient for free.
It was because I "knew" what was allowable or otherwise that allowed me as a patient not to get ripped off by the hospital that I was a patient at.
In the long run I ended up saving long term patients quite a bit of money, the hospitals in question were only concerned with their making a profit no matter where the money came from.
The hospital "rules" that you claim are only there to create a profit for said hospital. There is no law that says otherwise.

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You were a manager of 3 hospitals and you don't understand why they charge for TV's? The reason why they charge for the TV is to make up lost funds that the government does not pay in regards medical related costs. I hate to be the one to tell you this ,but hospitals need to make money to help people and if you can't see that after all the experience that you have had, I don't what else to say?

Why is it that thousands of hospitals have closed their doors over the last 5 years? Is it b/c they are makeing loads of profit like you say? No , it is not and there will probably be many more hospitals close over the next 5 years.

You can believe what you want, but there is a lot of hospitals in Japan that are struggling to stay in business and if that is not a concern I don't know what is.

BTW, I have been in hospital for 3 months and I know what it is like, but like everyone else I paid for what I used. I am not special and I don't expect to be treated special.

FrustratedDave said:

Wow .... I am in the medical proffesion here in Japan and I know the difficulties of running of a hospital in this day and age and I can't believe the naieve biased oppinions of some of you. Sure not every Doctor here in Japan is an expert in his/her field , but neither is all the Doctors at home.
Obeika, your blatant disrespect for that hospital rules is why the medical system is getting worse all the time. If you think treating patients for free is fine then so be it, but the government does not emburse hospitals as much as you would like to believe. So of corse they are going to want you to pay for things like TV and electricity. Just b/c we don't expect that at home does not mean we can bring those ideas here. If you don't want to pay those prices , don't watch TVﾂ、read a book.
And Ewok85, at the risk of commenting on a Doctor I do not know( he could well have been rude and inconsiderate) not all Doctors are like that as I have many friends who are Doctors and are very considerate towards "gaijin" and they are also well into thier sixties.

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You want to get into a discussion about doctors or hospitals? Particularly ones, doctors, that are older? I gave an accurate background of what doctors and how they act and think are. There are going to be exceptions to every rule however it is a fact that the majority of elderly docs were trained and raised in a totaly different atmosphere than the docs of today.

Let's talk....I gave an acurate description of what many doctors here in Japan are like. I've worked in the medical field here for nearly 10 years, I have medical professionals in my family.

We arent talking about doctors at home, we are talking about doctors HERE in Japan. Nothing more nothing less.

Hey , I never said anything about your description about the way doctors were taught years ago and how they are taught now. I am part of that system and what you say has some truth to it. However, everyone instantly refers to there own background on what they feel is fair and what is not. Eg ,your unwillingness to pay for a TV supplied by thye hospital.

I didn't mean to personaly attack you, but I am sick the complaints I hear b/c it is not what "we" are used to.

If you want to talk, I am open for discussion.

FrustratedDave said:

You were a manager of 3 hospitals and you don't understand why they charge for TV's? The reason why they charge for the TV is to make up lost funds that the government does not pay in regards medical related costs. I hate to be the one to tell you this ,but hospitals need to make money to help people and if you can't see that after all the experience that you have had, I don't what else to say?

Why is it that thousands of hospitals have closed their doors over the last 5 years? Is it b/c they are makeing loads of profit like you say? No , it is not and there will probably be many more hospitals close over the next 5 years.
You can believe what you want, but there is a lot of hospitals in Japan that are struggling to stay in business and if that is not a concern I don't know what is.

BTW, I have been in hospital for 3 months and I know what it is like, but like everyone else I paid for what I used. I am not special and I don't expect to be treated special.

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Dont assume I dont know the reasons for what a hospital charges what they do, Ive been on both sides of the fence, a patient and an employee. I dont follow along blindly do you?

You want to justify the charges that a hospital charges? I dont. I know very well why they charge what they do, and just because I "know" doesnt mean I agree.

So just because a particular hospital cant meet its bills it gives them the right to rip off their patients in other ways, sorry I dont think so, many hospitals here are on the brink of bankruptcy because of poor management and over spending, why should I as a taxpayer be forced to prop them up?
I suppose you follow along with the crowd just because.....

Want to make comparisons....I had my tonsils taken out here when I was 25, a hospital stay of 10 days or so, next I was an inpatient for 1 month for a bad back in traction, next I had fusion surgery where I had 8 steel screws with 2 steel rods drilled into my spinal column, which happened to be a 6 month hospital stay. Plus I had the rods and screws removed because the screws fractured my spinal column. Geez what's next... I could go on but I wont. Well one more I had bone grafts taken from my pelvis and inserted into to my spinal column to hold my spine in place. Plus a HUGE number of tests that go along with the preparation to the surgery.

I've had to undergo the indignity of wearing a diaper at 30 years old or so because I couldn't walk. I was in a wheelchair for over a month WAITING for the doctors to find the time to do the surgery, which took over 8 friggin hours. Ive had to pay to have my own blood held at the Japanese Red Cross to be returned into my body during said surgery. Ive been in an ICU unit here for over 10 days because of complications that arose from said surgery. I had pinched nerves in my leg because of the incompatence of the doctor that performed the surgery.

I could go on....but I wont...Dave Ive BEEN on both sides of the fence here in reagards to hospitals. Believe it or not I know what I am talking about.

FrustratedDave said:

Hey , I never said anything about your description about the way doctors were taught years ago and how they are taught now. I am part of that system and what you say has some truth to it. However, everyone instantly refers to there own background on what they feel is fair and what is not. Eg ,your unwillingness to pay for a TV supplied by thye hospital.

I didn't mean to personaly attack you, but I am sick the complaints I hear b/c it is not what "we" are used to.
If you want to talk, I am open for discussion.

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I want to apologize if I misunderstood you, I think you and I are pretty much reading from the same book, just different pages.

I agree with your staement about the complaints about "it isnt what I'm used to."
Cheers and lets work together here to get people to understand what things are like here if they have "problems".

Please accept my apologizes if I came across towards you wrong. That really wasnt my intent.

I am not going to comment on you being an employee of a hospital, b/c in my experience employees rarely know anything to do with the cost and risk involved in running a hospital.

I sympathize with your rough ordeal and am sorry you had to go through that, but like I said before not every hospital and doctor in Japan are incompetent, on a whole the medical system is very good. I have many good doctor friends/co-workers that would also be very supprised by your experience.

You are obviously bitter with the treatment you recieved and nothing I say will sway you from that, so I respect your oppinion and you thoughts on this matter.

Dave

I also want to appologise as I did let my emotions get the better of me. The reason is b/c I have to deal with similar problems quite regulary. You seem to have a lot in common with me in reagrds with your experience in Japan and I would love to talk to you about many of the other frustrating things that I find difficult to understand( I do try to understand them though).

FrustratedDave said:

And Ewok85, at the risk of commenting on a Doctor I do not know( he could well have been rude and inconsiderate) not all Doctors are like that as I have many friends who are Doctors and are very considerate towards "gaijin" and they are also well into thier sixties.

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I've never had a problem with my own treatment - read again

Ewok85 said:

I've never had a problem with my own treatment - read again

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I was refering to your experience as in "you and you wifes" which ultimately comes under the general heading of "your" experience , nowhere in that post did I imply otherwise.