National Strategic Special Zones and Healthcare System Reform

Abstract

There exists a gap between the healthcare system and needs for the service all through the ages; however, the gap has widened considerably by accelerating medical technology, diversification of individual values, and rapid ageing of the population in recent years.

Prime Minister Jyunichiro Koizumi's Cabinet, inaugurated in April 2001, boldly undertook regulatory reform in the field of healthcare to fill the gap. Since then many issues have been discussing, and some of challenges have reformed. Under such circumstance, the healthcare reform was positioned as core program of National Strategic Special Zones, enacted as a part of growth strategy by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second Cabinet inaugurated in December 2012. Besides medical field, other subjects such as agriculture, education, employment, urban regeneration and renewal, utilization of historical construction, near-future technology, and facilitation of foreigner resources have vigorously discussed and demonstrated, and a part of plan have achieved significant results.

Various deregulation measures including mixed billing of medical care services (a matter of concern since 2001), rule limiting the number of the beds, and face-to-face medical cares and instructions on the use of drugs in telemedicine environment have debated in the medical field. Moreover, a shortening of examination period has discussed and applied to promote the development of world-wide medical equipment at the designated area. At the current moment, innovative approaches in the medical field have been progressing in 13 designated areas.

A minister who is assigned directly below the Prime Minister, local administrative chiefs in the designated area, and private business operators are positioned as one to be aimed at cross-ministerial reforming, by which specific achievements will be demonstrated.