East Japan Great Earthquake
Due to the earth quake and tsunami attack on 11 march 2011, mecanical system was devastated in some hospitals in northern east Japan. MdM Japan launced the project to build the CT scanning room in two affected hospitals in Iwate Prefecture, Otsuchi Hospital and Yamada Hospital. It has been a month since the constructions were started. This first report about Iwate Prefecture Health care system Recovery project is for introducing the progress situation of the project in detail.
After the crisis, the provisional facilities of hospitals were built on the hills where tsunami wave did not leach. The temporal building of Otsuchi Hospital was built in late June last year: 3 and a half months passed since the quake hit. So was Yamada Hospital in early July: 4 months after the earthquake.
Since then, these two hospitals are providing medical treatment for residents in innner medecine, surgery, orthopedics and others. Currently Otsuchi town holds about 13,200 residents (surveied on 30 April, 2012), and 17,300 people are living in Yamada Town. (surveid on 1 May, 2012) Otsuchi Hospital and Yamada Hospital respectively take care around 90 patients a day.
However, the hospitals were not equipped with CT scanner system. Therefore, patients who need treatment using this facility had to travel long distance to other hospitals in neighboring area, such as Kamaishi Hospital or Miyako Hospital. This was not easy for residents in Otsuchi town and Yamada town because many of them are elderlies. It takes 2 hours to travel back and forth between distant hospitals and their homes. The number of bus service is limited, and people had to change the transportation more than once till get to the destination. Residents and local hospitalls strongly hoped to get CT scanner system in their area in order to solve this traffic problem.
Us, MdM Japan decided to build CT scanning room while imaging device industry provide CT scanner itself. We contracted with construction firm on this March and have debated on planning. The actuall constraction later started from April.
Construction in both hospitalls are progressing favorably now. MdM Japan will officially donate the facility to Iweate Prefecture after completion inspection is done. Test operation of CT scanning system is scheduled at the beginning of June.
According to bureau chieves of Otsuchi Hospital and Yamada Hospital, they are going to notify the introduction of this new medical examination rquippment through local information netwark of doctors’ clinic and town government pubication.
According to current situation like above, completion and presentation of CT scanning room seems going smoothly.
Introduction of CT scanning diagnosis allows whole the medical tratment system of these area being effectively and better connected. This fuction will enable residents to acces easily to the treatment, and will be a great and meaningful step forward to the recovery of medical services.
Koichi TAMATE
East Japan Disaster program officer
Photo1: CT building under construction at Otsuchi Hospital
In order to support the massive weight of 1,220 kg CT scanner, reinforced concrete foundation is build. The photo above shows the stage set up for construction.
Photo2: Cubicle construction at Otsuchi Hospital
In current Otsuchi Hospital, there is no high voltage facility to activate CT scanner. Thus we need to build it in parallel with the construction of the CT building.
Photo3: CT building under construction at Yamada Hospital
In order to support the massive weight of 1,220 kg CT scanner, reinforced concrete foundation is build. The photo shows the backfill process around the foundation.
Photo4: The MdM Japan project officer and engineers from Iwate Prefecture’s Health and Medical Department visited the both two hospitals to inspect the progress of construction.
The vehicle with the MdM emblem on the photo is usually used in Mental Health Care project in Othuchi town. (Peugeot 3008: Thak your for the donation from Peugeot Citroën Japon Co.,Ltd.)
All the pictures were taken on 27th April, 2012
