This April, Kyushu University Medical Hospital plans to open a department of international medical care that will cater to patients from overseas. The primary target is expected to be upper class patients from China and Southeast Asia who have severe conditions that cannot be easily treated in their home countries. The hospital is currently recruiting for a tenured professor and a tenured associate professor, positions which will start in September, and will also hire a medical interpreter. The university hospitals at the University of Tokyo and Osaka University already have international medical departments, but this move makes Kyushu University Hospital the first in Kyushu to establish such a division. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tourism Agency have defined medical tourism as a “new growth Industry”, but the Japan Medical Association has expressed concerns over the promotion of the sector when some rural areas of Japan are suffering from doctor shortages. The doctor in charge of the program at Kyudai says the new center will have no impact on medical care provided to residents of Japan since “it is hard to imagine a dramatically uptick in foreign patient numbers.” Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 3/28
