Support for ensuring a continuous supply of doctors in the Mishima, Toshima, and Amami Island regions
Regional Medical Support Center
Takezaki Toshiro
- toshima
- amami
- setouchi
- tokunoshima
Background and objectives of activities
It is difficult to secure doctors in the Mishima, Soshima and Amami island regions, and in order to provide health care for all residents, it is important to secure sustainable medical care, especially human resources. With the aim of resolving the uneven distribution of doctors in the regions of Kagoshima Prefecture, including remote islands and isolated areas, in 2006 Kagoshima Prefecture started a system of loans for medical students (a regional quota system) in collaboration with Kagoshima University.
Summary of Activities
Under the regional quota system, the prefecture provides scholarship funds, and the university selects and admits students who are motivated to work in community healthcare, and in addition to the regular curriculum, the University of Kagoshima Center for Community Healthcare provides a program to foster an understanding and passion for community healthcare, with a focus on remote islands. After graduation, the Center for Community Healthcare provides support for balancing work in community healthcare and a career as a doctor, and in collaboration with the prefecture, it works to sustain the deployment of doctors in the Mishima, Tokushima, and Amami island regions . In 2023, eight doctors were assigned to the region.
Expected Benefits
By continuing to secure doctors in the Mishima, Tokushima, and Amami regions, we can contribute to ensuring the health and welfare of all local residents.