3 Reasons Why You would Hesitate to Go to a Japanese Hospital
Where should you go when you need medical assistance in Tokyo
Regardless of how healthy you usually are, there will always be a time when you need to go to a hospital, clinic, or some other medical facility. Whether that is because you have a medical emergency or maybe something as light as treating your allergies. We all know this and we usually know what to do and where to go in case you need these kinds of medical assistance. However, this can become confusing and complicated if you live in or visit a foreign country that speaks a foreign language. Japan is a good example of that.
Have you ever had any of the following problems?
Not knowing what medical department to go to when you’re feeling ill.
Not being able to describe your symptoms adequately to the doctor.
Not knowing how much will this visit cost.
Not knowing how to look for a hospital that will attend you during late hours in case of an emergency.
There are many foreign people who have had situations where they wanted to go to a medical facility in Japan, but became hesitant because of these reasons.
This article shares with you the top three reasons foreigners hesitate to go to a Japanese hospital and will also introduce to you a hospital in Tokyo that you can go to without feeling any of these problems.
Top 3 Reasons Foreigner have problems when going to a Hospital in Japan
As mentioned in the introduction, there are many reasons why foreigners who either live in Japan or are just visiting have doubts about going to a Japanese hospital. Although the list of problems is really long, here are the top three reasons. You might relate to some of these reasons.
1. Not being able to find assistance in English
One of the things many foreigners will be shocked to know when they first come to Japan is how little English is spoken. The situation has become less severe with the passing of the years, but it is still a fact that you can go to a clinic in Tokyo where there is no English-speaking staff. Even if you find a place with English assistance, it is likely that this assistance is limited or there are very few staff members that can assist you for that matter. A study conducted by the Hokkaido University of Science has shown that about 60% of foreign patients felt insecure about communication even when using an English translator provided by the medical facility. This can become a problem since the first thing you need to do when arriving at a hospital is to fill out a patient intake questionnaire about your symptoms or the reason why you came.
2. Not knowing which Medical department to go to
Just like in other countries, hospitals in Japan are divided into many different departments such as internal medicine, gastroenterology, respiratory, pediatrics, etc. In the case of large hospitals, you will find most departments within the hospital so this may not be a big problem, but if you happen to not be near a large hospital, then it can get confusing and complicated to know what specialist clinic you should go to. Even if you go to a large hospital, then you will need to describe your symptoms in the reception, which brings you back to the problem in point number 1. Results of a survey made to international students in Japan showed that even for students studying the Japanese language, there is insecurity about communication due to the complexity of technical terminology used in these cases.
3. Medical fees and Insurance fees are too expensive
If you are a resident of Japan and have insurance, then you might not have this problem, but if you’re just visiting and don’t have insurance, then this is another thing that many foreigners will be worrying about before going to a hospital. Even if you are a resident and have insurance, if you happen to forget to bring your insurance card, then you will need to pay the full cost which can get pretty expensive. Another problem that comes together with that is that in some cases, hospitals will only accept cash for payment. So, this adds a whole new layer of problems if you don’t have the cash at that moment.
Where should you go when you need medical assistance in Tokyo?
Have you ever felt any of the former points when visiting a medical institution in a foreign country? According to a questionnaire research made by YOLO JAPAN to international students in Japan, around 60% answered they feel insecure when going to a medical facility in Japan, and about a third of these international students indicated they were insecure precisely about the reasons formerly mentioned in this article.
Having these numbers in mind, where should you go when you need medical assistance in Tokyo? There are over 600 hospitals and around 14,000 medical clinics in Tokyo alone, which is a vast number considering this is about twice the number of convenience stores located in Tokyo. It can be overwhelming to even start researching where to go. The following hospital provides primary care services with English-speaking doctors and staff.