Category: Hospitals

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.

As the hospital became unable to provide dialysis and other medical care, patients were temporarily transferred to a nearby hospital.

With electricity and water supplies remaining unavailable as of Tuesday, Tanushimaru Central Hospital is operating medical equipment using an emergency power system. On Tuesday, all hospital staff and volunteers worked to remove the floodwater and mud.

The weekly number of cases in Japan in which ambulance crews could not soon find hospitals to transport emergency patients has hit a record high for the fourth consecutive week, government data showed Tuesday. The result came as COVID-19 infections are continuing to spread in the country, putting a burden on the medical care system.