Fukushima hospitals face financial crisis

Hospitals in Japan's Fukushima prefecture have reported financial strain in the wake of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant disaster. The prefecture's hospital association, to which 90 percent of its hospitals belong, estimated the medical facilities' combined losses would reach at least $164 million for the first year after the March nuclear crisis, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Thursday. The hospitals demanded Tepco pay compensation for the first six months following the disaster. They received about 70 percent of their request, though retirement bonuses for doctors and other expenses, such as the cost of medicine, where not covered. Due to financial shortfalls, hospitals have been forced to reduce staff and cut services. "Many of the hospitals had to limit the number of inpatients they accept due to the declining number of medical staff," said Kazuhira Maehara, head of the prefecture's hospital association. "Compensation payments didn't start until nine months after the accident. Unless something is done, it will be a long time before hospitals [in the prefecture] can resume operation." Onoda Hospital in Minami-Soma reported the number of doctors dropped from eight to six, while the number of nurses working in the hospital decreased from 80 to 46. The hospital also said it was forced to close its inpatient wards, which reduced its revenues to one-third of pre-crisis levels, Yomiuri Shimbun said. "We don't know how long we'll be able to continue operating under the current circumstances," a hospital administrator said.