The revisions of medical service fees for fiscal 2022 are characterized by the aim of building medical services that can weather the effects of infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus.
The aim is to improve the ability to deal with such diseases at all medical institutions, including clinics in local communities, through the revisions of medical service fees that hospitals and other medical institutions receive. The central and prefectural governments need to take the initiative in implementing effective measures for that purpose.
The prolonged coronavirus pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in Japan's medical system. The capacity of PCR testing was inferior to that of other countries, and the supply of hospital beds for coronavirus patients quickly became strained. It has also become clear that a system in which public health centers play a central role in conducting tests and health observation cannot cope with an explosive spread of infections.
