Health Overview : Medical Treatment

 

Medical treatment in Japan is by all accounts safe and modern and you needn’t worry about hygiene or accessibility.

Your national health insurance is accepted at the majority of treatment facilities, and entitles you to 70% coverage of your medical bill. However, you will therefore need to pay 30% of the bill when you visit the doctor/are admitted to hospital (see the JET Handbook for more information).

Large hospitals, sometimes known as ‘Sougoubyouin’,  can treat most ailments and injuries, but depending on the scale of the hospital, you may need to first visit a local Doctor’s clinic to be reffered there for treatment.

Local Doctor’s clinics are in greater number even in small localities. They are classified under either Internal Medicine, ‘Naika’ – for illnesses and internal medical conditions, or Orthopaedic Surgery , ‘Geka’ (??) – for injuries. You must therefore choose the clinic you visit according to the ailment you have.

Most doctors are required to study English at university, and some will have completed a period of study abroad, so it is common for at least a basic level of English to be understood.

You can find an extensive list of English-speaking Doctors in Fukuoka, provided by the US Embassy, here.