Cross-cultural communication （10）　

19）The plane I'm flying back on won't fly!
　 In 2010, a volcano in Iceland called Eyjafjallajokull, which is a mouthful to say, had a large-scale eruption, and the volcanic smoke from it caused all the air routes connecting Europe and other countries to be suspended. I remember that planes didn't fly for several weeks. Tourists who had come to Japan from Europe before the eruption were stranded in Japan. Many of the tourists were taking medication for chronic illnesses on a daily basis, and the big problem for them was how to procure the medication that had run out or was about to run out. The Kido Clinic also received an inquiry through the French Consulate asking if I could help. So, I decided that I had to do something, and I gathered French tourists at the Kido Clinic one afternoon when there was no regular medical consultation.

About 10 French tourists who were waiting in Kansai gathered together. Since they were staying in Osaka, a city with relatively good facilities, everyone was in a fairly relaxed mood. We had them go into the examination room one by one and checked what kind of medicine they were taking. There were various people, including those who had kept one tablet of each of their actual medicines as a precaution, those who had brought copies of their prescriptions from France, and those who had remembered the brand names of their medicines even though they didn't have the actual medicines or prescriptions, but there was no-one who had no clue about their medicines at all. Some people even remembered both the brand names and generic names (the scientific names that are the same all over the world) of their medicines correctly. As a result, although it took some time, we were able to give everyone who came to the meeting a prescription that would be accepted in Japan.

As you can see, many French people know quite a lot of information about the medicines they are taking. This may be because, unlike in Japan, the patient, rather than the medical side, is responsible for the health insurance reimbursement procedure. Come to think of it, Americans also usually remember the medicines they are prescribed. In the US, too, most health insurance is private, but it is the patient's job to handle the reimbursement procedures. In Japan, where everything is left to the medical side, it seems like even the medicine you are taking is left to the doctor.

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred the year after this incident, and at this time, too, there were many people whose houses and medicine were swept away. In a situation like this, if you can remember the name of the medicine you are taking, even if only partially, it will make it much easier for the medical staff who come to help you, and you will be able to get your medicine more quickly. After these two major disasters, which were both closely related to medical care, occurred in Europe and Japan in quick succession, I always make sure to tell people in my lectures for the general public to “remember the name of the medicine you are taking.

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