Japanese Media: "Abe Government Inflated COVID-19 Hospital Bed Numbers"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Local media in Japan reported that the Japanese government inflated the number of hospital beds available for COVID-19 patients. The actual number of beds is less than half of the announced figure, raising concerns that a surge in patients could lead to a shortage of beds and potentially paralyze the healthcare system.

According to the Tokyo Shimbun on the 17th, after directly surveying the prefectural governments responsible for securing hospital beds, it was found that the total number of COVID-19 patient beds nationwide is about 11,000, which is less than half of the government’s announced figure. Earlier, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated in a response at the House of Councillors plenary session on the 3rd of this month that more than 25,000 beds for COVID-19 patients had been secured. On the 6th, at a COVID-19 task force meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office, he said, “The current 28,000 beds should be increased to 50,000.”

When Tokyo Shimbun inquired with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the responsible ministry, a ministry official responded, “The number of beds announced so far included vacant general beds within designated infectious disease medical institutions,” adding, “These medical institutions have doctors and nursing staff specialized in infectious disease response, so there is no problem.”

However, Tokyo Shimbun reported that local governments expressed embarrassment, saying they did not expect the central government to include the number of vacant beds they reported as part of the COVID-19 response beds. For example, a Kagawa Prefecture official said, “Just because a bed is vacant does not mean it can be used for COVID-19 patients,” and added, “To include beds in the COVID-19 response count, we have to check with each hospital whether they can create an infection prevention environment.”

Accordingly, concerns are growing that a shortage of beds could occur if the number of confirmed and severe patients surges. As of the 16th, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported a cumulative total of 10,008 confirmed cases in Japan, surpassing 10,000. The death toll has reached 203. With the rapid increase in confirmed cases, it is known that about 200 confirmed patients in the Tokyo area alone are unable to be hospitalized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.