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Review
. 2017 May 2;18(5):212-216.
doi: 10.1002/jgf2.65. eCollection 2017 Oct.

The comprehensive role of general physicians is very important in the chronic phase of a disaster area: Beyond and after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Toshihiko Hata  1
Affiliations
Review

The comprehensive role of general physicians is very important in the chronic phase of a disaster area: Beyond and after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Toshihiko Hata. J Gen Fam Med. .

Abstract

The Great East Japan Earthquake was a major earthquake, one of the largest (Magnitude 9.0) in Japan since 1900. 18 997 human lives were lost in the subsequent tsunami around the Sanriku coast of eastern Japan. Ishinomaki City, which was close to the epicenter, is one of the greatest locations that experienced of the greatest loss of human life: 3819 people. The Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital (IRCH), which is the main trunk hospital of the Ishinomaki medical sphere, moved to a hill away from the Pacific Ocean in order to avoid future tsunami 5 years prior to the Great East Japan Earthquake. IRCH was therefore nearly intact and its functions were maintained after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Other neighboring medical facilities were in a catastrophic state; for emergency, patients were all concentrated at the IRCH, and the medical staff of IRCH became exhausted. In response, the Japanese Red Cross Society collected and transported physicians, nurses, pharmacists, medical engineers, and medical clerks, to IRCH from Red Cross hospitals across the country during the period of April to August 2011. The dispatched medical personnel operated a makeshift clinic on a rotating basis autonomously in the hospital to support the IRCH. In this temporary clinic, the primary and secondary emergency staff conducted the center's general practice.

Keywords: disaster medicine; general physician; the Great East Japan Earthquake.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Great Earthquakes map in eastern Japan. Designed by Katsunori Goto
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital had moved to a place away from the sea, forecasting the tsunami three years ago, so it was intact even if damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake
Figure 3
Figure 3
Breakdown of 81 dispatched physicians for the IRCH
Figure 4
Figure 4
The first dispatch team to IRCH consisted of three physicians, two anesthesiologists and one pediatrician
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. The Great East Japan Earthquake. Ministry of Defense Homepage. http://www.mod.go.jp/e/d_act/disaster/index.html (accessed 5 April 2017).
    1. Domestic Disaster Response. The Japanese Red Cross Society Homepage. www.jrc.or.jp/english/activity/domestic/ (accessed 5 April 2017).
    1. Toshihiko H. Support provided on behalf of various Japanese Red Cross Society facilities to Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital after the Great East Japan Earthquake: Project participant report. 10–12, Dec 2011. Governor's Newsletter for all ACP members. http://acpjc.naika.or.jp/jpnchap/pdf/gnewsE_Dec2011.pdf (accessed 5 April 2017).
    1. Toshihiko H, Ken U, Human S, Takashi S, Hiroshi M, Hiroki T. Alternating Medical Dispatch Support Provided by the Japanese Red Cross Society after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The Journal of Academic Emergency Medicine. 2013;12:54–56.

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