The government on Friday discussed measures to combat a potential future pandemic and decided to revise relevant laws to make it mandatory for core hospitals to provide medical services and beds to patients when infectious diseases break out or spread.
The government will submit legislation including a bill to revise the Infectious Diseases Control Law to an extraordinary Diet session scheduled for autumn.
"We'll ensure that medical care will be provided in the event of a contingency by developing a system in a planned manner in normal times," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the Prime Minister's Office during the task force meeting to discuss measures against the novel coronavirus.
