Takano Hospital in Hiroko Town, Fukushima Prefecture, serves as the only in-patient medical facility in a town populated by evacuees of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. However, the hospital now faces a crisis threatening its very survival because its director, Dr. Hideo Takano, died suddenly in a house fire on December 30th, 2016. Despite his advanced age of 81, he was the only full-time doctor at the hospital.

Currently there are about 100 hospitalized patients at the facility. The hospital is responsible for treating returning evacuees and those who are involved in decommissioning Fukushima nuclear power plant. To prevent a collapse of the regional medical system, volunteer doctors have come together to form a group to save Takano Hospital, calling on other doctors to volunteer in support of the hospital. In response, doctors from across the nation have stepped up to volunteers. Even so, Takano Hospital has still not secured enough volunteer doctors and a full-time director to keep the hospital functioning past April.

To remedy this, Hirono Town has started to ask for donations to fund these volunteers. The immediate target amount of 2.5 million yen will be used for volunteers’ transportation and accommodation expenses for the next 3 months. Any donations exceeding this will be spent to further enhance the healthcare infrastructure of the town.

If you are willing to donate, please click here for more information. Additionally, Takano Hospital is still looking for doctors willing to work full-time in addition to the gracious support of volunteer doctors. As someone involved in an aspect of Japanese healthcare, I am deeply concerned about the fate of this hospital and its patients, still suffering from the tragedies inflicted upon them six years ago. I hope that Takano Hospital receives the support it direly needs.

Kumi Sato, CEO and President of COSMO