Medical system in Japan
Although many of international students may be young and healthy, they still should prepare for sickness. It is better to know about Japanese fundamental medical system at least. While the system may be relatively reliable, international students had better keep their good health overseas, as far as possible.
There are some difficulties to receive medical service overseas generally. Firstly, patients need to understand medical terms in foreign languages while it would be more difficult for sick people to speak a foreign language than usual. Secondly, foreign medical systems may be different from that of home countries. Thirdly, it is difficult to get assist from their families in overseas.
In Japan, there are two types of medical facilities, clinic, and hospital. A clinic has less than 20 sickbeds and a hospital has more than 20 sickbeds. In Japan, if you feel sick, you will go to a clinic near your home firstly. After making a diagnosis, the doctor of the clinic tells whether you should go to a bigger hospital. If you got to hospital firstly without a referral from a clinic, you may have to pay special fees to the hospital. In an emergency, you shouldn’t hesitate to go to hospital. In such case, you can take an ambulance by calling the emergency number 119.
