Japan: Government to survey nursing care conditions on remote islands in bid to improve services for elderly

The land ministry plans to conduct a survey on the conditions of nursing care services for elderly people on remote islands starting this summer, according to sources.

Based on the survey, the ministry will determine ways to improve services in the remote locations in cooperation with the health ministry.

The land ministry is in charge of developing isolated islands.

The move comes in response to complaints from residents that it is not fair to pay for the national insurance program for nursing care when there are no services that are offered in their locations.

For example, only one of the seven inhabited islands that comprise the village of Toshima in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture has a care facility for the elderly.

The islands are connected by a twice-a-week ferry service, but most residents face difficulty accessing such care.

A land ministry official said that in some cases, nursing care services are not used even though they are available. “While conducting the survey, we would also like to call for the services to be used,” the official said.

(Source: The Japan Times)