VOA慢速英语2020--日本的医疗企业难以为继

In Japan, many small medical centers are at risk of going out of business as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Even as the government eases COVID-19 restrictions¹, people continue to avoid the clinics in fear they might catch the disease there.

Now clinic owners are asking the government for help.

Toshihiko Yamazaki operates a clinic in the city of Urawa, north of Tokyo. He said clinics in the residential² and office areas seem to be having a difficult time.

"Even if the state of emergency is lifted, patients won't be able to return as long as there is a risk of infection," he said.

Yamazaki has seven employees. His clinic has gotten through the crisis better than most because it is close to a major train station. Still, in April, revenue was down 17 percent.

Japan had about 16,600 coronavirus infections and around 850 deaths. It has mostly contained the virus without heavy restrictions on travel and business.

Citizens mostly have obeyed the government's call for an 80 percent cut to social interactions. Clinic visits for usual health care have decreased, as a result.

An industry organization, the Tokyo Medical Practitioner³ Association, surveyed 1,200 clinics in the capital. It says more than 90 percent of them suffered revenue loss in April.

The Japan Federation⁴ of Insurance Medical Associations carried out a similar survey nationwide. It found that more than 80 percent of 2,900 clinics also saw revenue loss in April.

Some of the business went to the internet, where doctors can provide telehealth services. But most doctors get only about half as much money as they would receive for in-person visits.

Experts also predict a decrease of about $4.6 billion in hospital revenues this year. Teaching hospitals have asked the government for financial aid.

And, medical and hospital groups are urging Japan's health ministry⁶ to re-direct aid for community health programs to small medical centers.

Health ministry official Kazuho Taguchi said the ministry was taking the issue seriously. Non-virus services must be continued, he added, saying the ministry was holding hearings on ways to deal with the problem of fewer patients.

Toshio Nakagawa is vice⁵ president of the Japan Medical Association. He points out that as revenue decreases, doctors may reconsider plans to buy equipment and hire workers. That, he says, could lead to a drop "in the quality of medical care."

I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

residential - adj. containing mostly homes instead of stores or businesses

revenue - n. money that is made or paid to a business or an organization

interaction - n. the act of talking or doing things with other people

survey - n. an act of studying something in order to make a judgment about it

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

3 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。