Vaccination against pneumococcus in Rikuzentakata, Iwate(c) in January 2012 JRCS

There was a concern that the affected people who evacuated to unfamiliar living environment might be less resistant to infection with respiratory diseases including pneumonia due to increased stress level. The JRCS in collaboration with the local medical association, carried out pneumococcal vaccination for the elderly.
Target area: Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima
Target of people assisted: elderly aged 70 or over
Number of people vaccinated: 437,856 people (125,711 in Iwate, 132,251 in Miyagi and 179,894 in Fukushima)

Temporary night-time emergency medical center (c) Masaki Kamei

An emergency night-time medical centre in Ishinomaki City, which used to accommodate approximately 15,000 patients annually, was damaged by the tsunami. The centre reopened on 1 December 2011 with capacity to provide full out-patient care in the fields of internal medicine, trauma, and pediatrics.
Target area: Miyagi
Target of people assisted: residents in Ishinomaki area

Temporary hospital constructed in Ishinomaki in April 2012.
(c) MasakiKamei

Construction of a temporary 50-bed facility provided primary and secondary medical services, allowing Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital to focus on tertiary medical care. With a rehabilitation room, an administrative office and disaster relief item storage, the newly constructed prefabricated building, which is an annex to the Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital, began receiving patients on 5 March 2012 and has been in operation since.
Target area: Miyagi
Target of people assisted: residents in Ishinomaki City

Temporary hospital constructed.in Minamisanriku in April 2012. (c) MasakiKamei

Minamisanriku, once with a population of 17,815, was left with 13,991 people after the disaster. This was caused by a high number of deaths and cases of missing persons as well as by migration to other parts of Japan. In April 2012, the temporary hospital for secondary medical care in Minamisanriku replaced the make-shift clinics in which the Israeli medical team had been providing medical services since immediately after the disaster. This building was used until the permanent city hospital was rebuilt (see below (5)). The facility consists of nine out-patient departments including internal medicine, trauma, orthopedics, and pediatrics.
Target area: Miyagi
Target of people assisted: residents in Minamisanriku Town

Community Medical Center in Onagawa in April 2012.
(c) MasakiKamei

Prior to the devastation, Onagawa used have 10,000 inhabitants. The disaster took the lives of approximately seven percent of its population. Although the hospital stood 16 meters above sea level, the first floor was severely damaged by the tsunami. The rehabilitation and reconstruction of the hospital included plans, which were in place prior to the devastation, specifically to provide medical services for the aging population by strengthening home services. The new building included a group home for elderly people who were unable to live in the prefabricated houses provided by the government. The facility was opened in April 2012. The centre was equipped with 19 beds for general care department and 100 beds for the elderly healthcare facility.
Target area: Miyagi
Target of people assisted: residents in Onagawa Town

Minamisanriku Hospital and Social Welfare Care Centre Minamisanriku in 2015 (c)JRCS

Shizugawa Public Hospital in Minamisanriku was the only public medical facility for the local population of 15,000, until it was destroyed by the tsunami. Meanwhile, a prefabricated temporary Minamisanriku Public Clinic that was built by the JRCS in March 2012 provided a secondary medical care for the people of the municipality (see above (3)).
A basic construction plan to rehabilitate medical facilities was finalized by the municipality of Minamisanriku in March 2013. The plan aimed to build a permanent hospital, Minamisanriku Hospital, by integrating the Shizugawa Public Hospital with the temporary Minamisanriku Public Clinic that is resilient to future disasters with a quake-absorbing structure, and emergency water and power supply systems. Construction of the hospital was started in April 2014 and completed in 30 October 2015. Completion ceremony was held on 25 November 2015. Operation at the new hospital started from 14 December 2015. There are ten departments, which is as same as the former Shizugawa Public Hospital. The expected decrease of the population number in the future has also decreased the number of beds to 90, which are 36 beds less than the former Shizugawa Public Hospital. About 50,000 out-patients and 31,000 in-patients per year are expected.
Target area: Miyagi
Target of people assisted: residents in Minamisanriku Town

Kesennuma City Motoyoshi Hospital (c) Masaki.Kamei

The severely damaged hospital in Motoyoshi area, which covers Kesennuma and Minamisanriku, was used to treat 21,000 patients per year. The JRCS supported part of the reconstruction of the facilities, including staff residences and exterior construction. The work was completed in March 2013. In addition, the JRCS provided 20 hospital beds, blood-pressure gauges, cardiograph equipment and other medical items which required replacement due to the loss and/or damaged by the tsunami.
Target area: Miyagi
Target of people assisted: residents in Kesennuma
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 13,000-84,000 for all facilities including from (1) to (6) facilities constructed in Miyagi.

JRC Fukushima Hospital (c)JRCS

The nuclear disaster brought a substantial change in the context of medical service delivery in Fukushima. The evacuees and residents, especially in northern and central areas of the prefecture, were forced to live with anxieties over radiation exposure for a prolonged time. Under these circumstances, JRC Fukushima Chapter, upon receiving the request from the prefectural government, began providing radiation checks to Fukushima residents in collaboration with Fukushima Medical University. This has reinforced the necessity of the delivery of medical service, especially radiation checks, for the people in the coastal area, and enhance its capacity to respond to these emerging medical needs. In order to fulfill this, the new JRC Fukushima Hospital was constructed in a new location nearby.
Target area: Fukushima
Target of people assisted: residents in Fukushima
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 480,000