PERSONAL STORY: 13 month baby rejected at 2 hospitals, before getting accepted at a 3rd, during a critical situation

5 years ago, my husband woke up to our 13 month daughter who would not stop vomiting. Even when she swallowed her saliva, she would vomit. She was beginning to loose consciousness.

We had no idea about the ambulance system here, but knew there were several hospitals that were within a 5 minute car drive from our house, so we drove the the closest: Aiku Hospital. They would not even let us in, saying that the only babies they admit are ones who have just been born there. They suggested Red Cross. We went there, but they said that there was not a specialist in and could not accept us. We remembered that there was Hiro Hospital close, so we drove there and were able to get her in. Before they would even see her, we had to do a lot of paperwork to register as a patient of the hospital. Once that was done, they saw us.

It turned out that her large and small intestines collapsed into each other, in two places. We were very fortunate that the doctor knew the right tests to do to realize what was happening and act accordingly.

This experience was an eye-opener. I had no idea that you could be turned down by just randomly showing up at a hospital. I learned that you need to contact hospitals in advance to see if they have an opening in the ER or even a doctor on staff that is capable with dealing with your condition. Also, one point to note, even if you call an ambulance, the paramedics here are not trained to stabilize on the spot. They just transport. And it can take 20 minutes for them to find an open hospital.

After discussing this issue with a fellow long-time gaijin in Japan, I received the advice to keep the phone number of a doctor at an international clinic, on hand, who can help find and arrange permission to an open hospital in the case of an emergency. I would suggest keeping a Japanese speaking friend on speed dial, to help.

To find a suitable medical facility which is open and can communicate in English, contact the Tokyo Fire Department Disaster and Emergency Information Center (03-3212-2323, 24 hours).
They can help to find a hospital for you.

EXPERIENCES REQUESTED: What you need to know about medical care in Japan

I decided to open this blog, after a lenghty discussion with a fellow long-timer in Japan about Japan's medical care system.

I am not a medical expert but I have had 3 children here and been to so many hospitals and clinic. I speak the language, have Japanese national health insurance, and have made it a bit of a mission to figure out this system. Japan does have great health care, but there are a lot of frustrating things about it. The good news is, once you know the system and how to deal with it, your hospital experiences can be more bearable. Hopefully. Or, at least, you know what you are going into and so you can deal with it emotionally, beforehand, which can beat going at it with a blind eye.

I want to start a community where people can share their thoughts and experiences on the following:

• Hospitals
• English speaking clinics
• Good and bad experiences (with details)
• Advice on anything medical related
• Birthing information
• Etc. etc.

I can feature a post a day, if you send me your story via email: janica@japan-cast.com
So, please send in your stories. I can keep your name private, or offer your contact information if you want to answer questions from people. Just let me know.