Dhahran, Saudi Arabia A Japanese medical team sent to Saudi Arabia in response to the Medeast crisis will open an emergency clinic near this Gulf town by mid-December, the team's chief confirmed Wednesday. But the small clinic will be little more than a gesture of Japan's solidarity with Saudi Arabia, for the desert kingdom has ample modern hospitals to draw upon, even in time of war, Koichi Kimura said. " Except for symbolic significance, Saudi Arabia does not need outside ( medical ) help. "said Kimura, a Japanese diplomat sent from Austria to help set up his country's medical program here. " Saudi Arabian ( medical ) equipment, hospitals, doctors and nurses are of the highest standard in the world. And the country has enough doctors and nurses to handle a national emergency." In addition, Kimura said the Saudi military boasts top-level medical facilities, while multinational forces in the region have their first aid systems and " do not want to be interfered with. " Therefore, the "combat" mission of the three or four Japanese medical teams, each with 10-15 members, will be to treat injured civilians at the clinic here. The Japanese may also dispatch a small mobile hospital to care for wounded civilians near war zones, Kimura said. The clinic and mobile hospital will provide life-savings care for anyone in need, Kimura said. " Patients will be stabilized and, if they need special care, then we will send them to a bigger hospital. " he added. The Saudis and Japanese reached an agreement to set up the clinic after a month of discussions. Japan is also sending a fleet 50 off-road ambulances fitted with communications gear, which should arrive in December. During the discussions, " They ( Saudis ) wanted ten times more than what we offered. This country talks big, thinks big and wants big… they always want the best in quality and quantity. " noted Kimura, who has worked twice before as a diplomat in Saudi Arabia. " But we said we could not afford such a deal. Tokyo thinks that what we are now sending is a big contribution. " Kimura said that " however small and modest this ( medical aid ) might be, it could be the start of cooperation in the medical field between Japan and Saudi Arabia. " Such an exchange would give international experience to medical workers in the kingdom, who until now have had little contact with the medical practices imported from other countries. Tomoyuki Kido, a physician from Osaka, arrived here from Japan two weeks ago to help set up the two-floor clinic. Kido, who will spend one month here, said most doctors will serve here for two months, but said the time should be lengthened. However, he said the short tours will still allow Japanese to bring new ideas and technology into Saudi Arabia. For example, Kido will lecture Saudi doctors about Japanese advances in cancer therapy. But, the physician added: " In war we can be of some help, but I do not think it is enough. We only have a small number of personnel. " One Japanese medical team consist of three or four doctor, four to eight nurses, and several assistants.

KIDO SAID Japan should send more doctors. But he noted a shortage of physicians in Japanese government hospitals, and said that even medical workers chosen for duty in Saudi Arabia can turn the assignment down. " There are not so many doctors who volunteer… they think there is too much danger here. Also, many doctors have no experience in a foreign country―they speak no English. " Kido said he is " quite satisfied with being here, " that he feels no danger and that his short assignment " has been the best occasion to learn to deal with a crisis. "

　これは、リヤドに滞在中、米軍の広報紙Stars and Stripesから電話取材を受けて、それを元に書かれた記事です。医療隊の外交官代表である木村氏と私が取材されました。内容は、日本医療隊はたいして出来ることはないが、サウジへの友情のシンボルのようなものであると遠回しに言っています。私も個人的には危機管理の勉強には役にたっていると思うと答えたのですが、驚いたことにそれがそのまま文章になっていました。
　この中で、リヤドの病院で講義をした件が出てきますが、これは活動の写真にもなっています。ぜひご覧ください。

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