Report on medical education training in onagawa town, an area stricken by the great east japan earthquake

山口大学医学部医学科4年生(当時)2名が,平成24年3月の4日間,東日本大震災の被災地の医療を研修するために,宮城県女川町を訪問した.女川町は,人口約1万人の町だったが,今回の津波により人口の1割近くの方が亡くなった.訪問した震災約1年後においても,がれきの残る平地のままの街の姿が,被害の大きさを表していた.研修を行った女川町立病院も地震と津波で大きな被害を受けたが,災害直後から,齋藤充院長のもと,入院患者や住民の救護にあたった.全国から多くの医師の支援を受け,急性期を乗り越え,訪問時には,一般診療に加えて,仮設住宅の訪問診療など,慢性期の災害医療に取り組んでいた.研修では,外来患者へのインタビュー,保健師や理学療法士等と一緒に,仮設住宅でのイベントへの参加や訪問リハビリへの同行を行った.多職種が連携しながら,被災地の住民の健康支援をする姿に,生活に密着した医療の必要性を強く感じた.また,元気で明るいスタッフや地域の方との多くの出会いの中で,自分自身が勇気づけられ,大学でのこれからの学習の大きなモチベーションとなった.女川の復興は少しずつ進んでいる.女川町立病院は女川町地域医療センター『輝望の丘』と変わり,家庭医によるプライマリ･ケアを中心とした地域医療を提供し始めた.大震災という経験を通じて構築される女川の医療は,これからの新しい地域医療の形として全国のモデルとなるだろう.

Two medical students in the third grade at Yamaguchi University School of Medicine visited Onagawa Town, an area stricken by the Great East Japan Earthquake, to undertake medical education training for disasters and community medicine for four days in March 2012. Onagawa Town had a population of about ten thousand before the earthquake, and almost ten percent of the population were victims of the earthquake. The students stayed in the Onagawa Town Hospital, which was partly destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami. The hospital staff aided the disaster victims and inpatients under the direction of Dr. Saito, the director of the hospital, with help from physicians from all over the country in the acute phase. Now, in the chronic phase of the disaster, the hospital staffs were engaged in home care for victims in temporary housing as well as general medicine. During the medical education training, the students interviewed outpatients, participated in community events, and accompanied staff conducting home care in the temporary housing. The revival of Onagawa has been ongoing. The hospital changed to the Onagawa Community Health Center, named“Hill of Hope”,and started providing primary care mainly by generalists and family physicians.

東日本大震災

災害医療

地域医療

医学教育