shimokawasachiko 目次
Yes Or No: Will health disparities be reduced in Japan?
POINTS： Intensification of depopulation / Aging Population / Income disparities / 5G / Preventive Healthcare / Medical Research
観点：過疎化激化 / 人口高齢化 / 経済格差 / 5G / 予防的健康管理 / 医学研究
健康格差の背景
医療格差とは、医療を受ける上での様々な格差のことで、受診可能な専門医が近くにいるか、医療設備が整っている病院に行くことができるか、など受ける診察などの質や量の違いのことです。医療格差により、健康状態にも違いが出てくることがあります。もちろん、健康格差は、医療格差だけでなく、他の要因により格差が広がることもあるでしょう。
既に、日本でも医療格差は大きな社会問題となっています。一般に、地方には専門医や手術できる医師が少なく、それ故、研修医や若い世代の医師も地方より都市で勤務したいと望む傾向が強まっています。病院の規模も、人口が少なければ小さくなるのは当たり前のことでしょう。離島になると、地方より問題は更に深刻になるでしょう。
医療技術の発達は目覚ましいものがありますが、最新医療は高額になる場合も多く、誰もが平等に受けられる医療ではないでしょう。
地域の医療格差を埋めていくテクノロジー～オプティム社との協業で描く医療の夢～｜Medicaroid NEWS
世界の医療事情を比較しよう！国によってどれだけの格差がある？
若者が地方から逃げ出す本当の理由 流入のカギは「適度な無関心」
Health inequities and their causes
肯定派：日本の健康格差は縮まる (語数 228語)
Yes Or No: Will health disparities be reduced in Japan?
POINTS: 5G / Preventive Healthcare / Medical Research
Introduction
Even though health inequalities may widen a little, they would be predicted to dwindle in the long term in Japan. This may sound challenging, but it could be achievable if remote surgeries were implemented and widespread, and if recent innovative research contributed to the prevention of common diseases. Preventive healthcare would also play an important role.
日本の健康格差は若干広がるかもしれないけれど、長期的には少しづつ減少していく事が予想されます。難関なことのようにきこえるかもしれませんが、遠隔手術の実施・普及されれば、また最近の革新的な研究が一般的な疾患の予防に寄与できれば、達成可能であると考えられます。健康格差を減らすには、予防的健康管理も重要な役割をになうと思われます。
Discussion 1
A pilot experiment of remote surgery using a pig was domestically conducted in 2021. Hopefully, it would not take long before human patients experience such surgeries. Once remote surgeries become common, a shortage of surgeons would be solved in rural areas.
国内ではブタを使用した遠隔手術の実証実験が2021年に行われました。上手くいけば、人間の患者がそのような手術を体験するのも、間もなくのことでしょう。ひとたび遠隔手術が一般的になれば、地方での外科医不足は解消されるでしょう。
Discussion 2
Health inequalities would not emerge if all people could stay healthy. A wealth of anti-ageing research for longevity has been conducted, and the findings would be applied to make people live longer without suffering from diseases. If the government provided preventive medical treatment to everyone, health disparities would largely disappear in Japan.
人間が健康で居続けることができるなら、健康格差など生まれないでしょう。健康長寿のための抗老化医学において多量の研究がなされていますが、これらの研究結果は、人類が病気に罹患せず健康で長生きできるように、応用されることでしょう。もし政府がみなに予防医療を提供するなら、日本の健康格差の大部分はなくなるでしょう。
Discussion 3
Similarly, many diseases caused by bad habits or lifestyles, such as smoking and excessive stress, are preventable. People are aware of this but many can’t adequately dedicate themselves to reforming their bad habits. If they emphasise more on preventive healthcare rather than medical treatment in response to their diagnoses, health inequalities will be reduced.
同様に、喫煙や過度のストレスなどの悪習慣やライフスタイルによって引き起こされた疾患は予防可能なものです。皆これに気付いてはいますが、多くの人は悪習慣を断つことに十分に取り組めていないのです。病気と診断されて治療を受けるより予防健康管理をもっと真面目にやれば、健康格差は減少するでしょう。
Conclusion
Overall, health inequalities could be reduced in Japan as a result of the prevalence of remote surgeries and the implementation of preventive medicine and healthcare.
全体的にみると、遠隔手術の普及・予防医療と予防管理の実施により、日本の健康格差を減らすことは可能でしょう。
肯定派: 全文（音声付き)
Even though health inequalities may widen a little, they would be predicted to dwindle in the long term in Japan. This may sound challenging, but it could be achievable if remote surgeries were implemented and widespread, and if recent innovative research contributed to the prevention of common diseases. Preventive healthcare would also play an important role.
A pilot experiment of remote surgery using a pig was domestically conducted in 2021. Hopefully, it would not take long before human patients experience such surgeries. Once remote surgeries become common, a shortage of surgeons would be solved in rural areas.
Health inequalities would not emerge if all people could stay healthy. A wealth of anti-ageing research for longevity has been conducted, and the findings would be applied to make people live longer without suffering from diseases. If the government provided preventive medical treatment to everyone, health disparities would largely disappear in Japan.
Similarly, many diseases caused by bad habits or lifestyles, such as smoking and excessive stress, are preventable. People are aware of this but many can’t adequately dedicate themselves to reforming their bad habits. If they emphasise more on preventive healthcare rather than medical treatment in response to their diagnoses, health inequalities will be reduced.
Overall, health inequalities could be reduced in Japan as a result of the prevalence of remote surgeries and the implementation of preventive medicine and healthcare.
否定派：日本の健康格差は縮まらない。（語数 222 語)
Yes Or No: Will health disparities be reduced in Japan?
POINTS： Intensification of depopulation / Aging Population / Income disparities
Introduction
Advanced medical technology and ultra-high-speed internet services are considered the solution to health disparities. Having said that, health inequalities are likely to expand further in Japan as a consequence of the ageing population, depopulation in country towns and income disparities.
高度な医療技術や超高速インターネットのおかげで健康格差が解決するのでは、と期待されています。とは言え、人口高齢化、地方都市の過疎化、経済格差のために、日本の健康格差は更に広がっていくと考えられます。
Discussion 1
The expanding elderly population will cause a number of issues for health care in Japan. People aged 75 or above will account for one-fourth of the population by 2025. As a result, there will be fewer new doctors. Besides, the birth rate continues to decrease despite subsidies for newborn babies and fertility treatment. Under such circumstances, more and more patients won’t have access to a doctor.
日本では、高齢者人口が増え続けており、たくさんの健康問題の引き金となるでしょう。2025年までに、全人口の1/4が75歳以上になると言われています。その結果、医師になる人の数も減少します。その上、新生児や不妊治療に対する補助金にも関わらず、出生率は減少し続けています。この様な状況下では、医者にかかることが出来ない患者の数はもっと増えるでしょう。
Discussion 2
There is a shortage of doctors in rural areas. As people continue to move away from country areas, the supply of doctors is not likely to improve. Consequently, it is unlikely that rural patients will have access to anything other than basic clinics run by GPs.
地方では医師が不足しています。地方からの人口流出が続くなか、医師が増える可能性は低いでしょう。従って、地方に住む患者にとって町医者が経営するクリニック以外の医療にかかるのはあり得ないと考えられます。
Discussion 3
It will be more difficult for lower-income people to access medical treatment, particularly senior citizens. As the national debt continues to increase, the government has increased medical fees for the elderly. Medical treatment will likely be unaffordable for more people in the future.
年収の低い人たちが、特に高齢者が医療にかかるのは、今よりもっと難しくなるでしょう。国債が増え続けるなか、政府は高齢者の医療費の負担を増やしました。将来、日本の医療は多くの人にとって負担できるものではなくなってしまうでしょう。
Conclusion
In short, the growing elderly population, further depopulation in the countryside and the intensification of income disparities can be expected to worsen the health inequalities in Japan.
要するに、増え続ける高齢者人口、地方の更なる過疎化、経済格差の激化は日本の健康格差を悪化させる、と言えます。
否定派: 全文（音声付き）
Advanced medical technology and ultra-high-speed internet services are considered the solution to health disparities. Having said that, health inequalities are likely to expand further in Japan as a consequence of the ageing population, depopulation in country towns and income disparities.
The expanding elderly population will cause a number of issues for health care in Japan. People aged 75 or above will account for one-fourth of the population by 2025. As a result, there will be fewer new doctors. Besides, the birth rate continues to decrease despite subsidies for newborn babies and fertility treatment. Under such circumstances, more and more patients won’t have access to a doctor.
There is a shortage of doctors in rural areas. As people continue to move away from country areas, the supply of doctors is not likely to improve. Consequently, it is unlikely that rural patients will have access to anything other than basic clinics run by GPs.
It will be more difficult for lower-income people to access medical treatment, particularly senior citizens. As the national debt continues to increase, the government has increased medical fees for the elderly. Medical treatment will likely be unaffordable for more people in the future.
In short, the growing elderly population, further depopulation in the countryside and the intensification of income disparities can be expected to worsen the health inequalities in Japan.
まとめ
コロナ過の影響もあり、国内の医療格差・健康格差も広がっていると感じますが、世界に目を向けると、その医療格差は日本の比ではありません。日本や他の先進国では容易に治癒できる病で亡くなる人が後を断ちません。不衛生な生活環境や栄養状態を改善するだけでも、多くの病気を防ぐ事ができます。格差を失くすことは出来なくても、最低限の医療の供給で底上げしたり、生活習慣を改善し健康な状態を出来るだけ長く保つことで、格差も縮まるのではないでしょうか？
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