Japan Saw Record Ambulance Dispatches in 2023

From Jiji 

March 29 2024

TOKYO – There were 7,637,967 ambulance dispatches in Japan in 2023, the highest figure since comparable data became available in 1963, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a preliminary report Friday. 

From the previous year, ambulance dispatches increased 5.6 pct.

The agency also said a record 6,639,959 people, up 6.8 pct, were transported by ambulance.

Of them, probable sufferers of acute illnesses, such as COVID-19, accounted for 67.7 pct, far exceeding those inflicted “general” injuries, at 15.9 pct, and those involved in traffic accidents, at 5.4 pct.

People aged 65 or older made up about 61.6 pct of the total ambulance users, more than triple the proportion of younger adults.