Local News

Plans are being reworked for the operation of the Fukuoka Children’s Hospital, which will be rebuilt and opened at a new location in March 2014. The hospital, which is expected to serve patients from throughout Kyushu, planned to use a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for its operations, in which a local government procures a capital asset and its services from the private sector on a long-term contract in return for an annual payment. With hospitals throughout the country struggling to survive, this was expected to cut costs and improve services. The city is rethinking its plans, however, as PFI has not worked as well as expected for other hospitals.