Chinese Boy Shocked by Discriminatory Patient Questionnaire at Japanese Clinic

“It’s total discrimination” – Chinese boy shocked at “Japanese medical institution” – contents of “patient questionnaire” and the clinic’s “urgent” circumstances
In mid-November, a Chinese junior high school student living in Japan rushed to a clinic in Tokyo after being injured while playing soccer. Although he was satisfied with the appropriate treatment, he said he felt deeply unsettled by what had happened at the hospital. The cause was a pre-treatment questionnaire. ■ Contents of the questions that were accused of being “discriminatory” The survey in question contained eight questions that patients would find difficult to accept, as if they were assuming that the problem lies with the patient (the following text is in the original). ・You have come to the hospital today, but you are not confident that you can accurately convey your symptoms to the doctor or understand the doctor’s instructions, so will you cancel your appointment today?
・If you are not satisfied with today’s consultation, would you make a fuss or even leave without paying the consultation fee?
・Do you not have confidence in your ability to accurately convey to the doctor what is necessary for today’s treatment, so you just say something random and get the medicine you want for the time being?
・Do you have a selfish thought that because you are in a hurry today, you should prioritize your appointment even if it means skipping the queue and skipping other people?
・Do you think that you will not take the medicine you were given as instructed, and that you might even sell it to someone else?
・Do you not have much confidence in communicating in Japanese, but are you thinking of making excuses and pretending to be able to do it when you can’t?
・Basically, you will receive oral and written instructions on how to take medicine at the pharmacy, Did you know that explanations do not necessarily have to be given in the clinic or during treatment?

– Even if the doctor says it is medically necessary, do you think patients should be free to arbitrarily refuse X-rays, braces, or medication?
Boy claims, “It’s completely discriminatory.”
At a press conference held last month, a 14-year-old Chinese boy said of his interactions with the hospital when he was asked to fill out the questionnaire, “I complained that it was completely discriminatory. However, the hospital denied it, claiming that they created the survey to ensure there was no discrimination,” she sadly revealed. The father, who was also present, said, “I feel very sad about this incident. At the hospitals I had been going to up until then, all the doctors were kind and there was no such prejudice against Chinese people. However, we are aware that this incident was by no means a coincidence, and that there have been many such incidents in Japan before (not just at this hospital). “I want anyone in any country who has experienced the same thing to speak up,” he said. Todate Yoshiyuki, the lawyer representing the boy who revealed the clinic’s response, said, “The content of the questions is based on the premise that Chinese people will cause trouble at the hospital. What’s more, if you are not satisfied you don’t have to receive treatment, which seems malicious. It’s as if they’re trying to give us an excuse to chase them away,” he said angrily. Based on this, Todate sent a letter of protest to the clinic’s chairman and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, stating that “such actions may violate Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution of Japan, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the obligation to respond to calls under the Medical Practitioners Act (Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Practitioners Act).” The hospital claims that it is “not discriminatory.” Even from an objective point of view, it is not unreasonable to interpret the questions as being written with the intention of turning people away. What is the intention behind creating this questionnaire and requiring foreign patients to fill it out? We directly interviewed Mr. A, the chairman of the hospital in question. –A junior high school student who received treatment at the hospital claims that he was made to fill out a discriminatory questionnaire. It certainly seems like the question contains expressions that readers may find unpleasant. Mr. A: Actually, all of what is written there actually happened at our hospital. –Have you actually experienced nuisance behavior such as “They make a fuss if they’re not satisfied with the treatment,” “They leave without paying the medical fee,” or “They’re in a hurry and don’t follow the queue, so they should prioritize their own treatment even if it means cutting other people off”?
Mr. A: That’s right. Therefore, since such patients could cause inconvenience to other patients if they were to come to the hospital again, we had no choice but to create a questionnaire to identify and distinguish them in advance. It is not discrimination in any way. In fact, they are conscientious because they don’t turn people away. *Source: 12/5

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