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Only 3 percent of Japanese women take pain relievers during delivery
– Reported, 12 January 2013
As a country where children are commonly referred to as onaka wo itameta ko or the child who made my belly hurt, Japan is seriously lagging in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, a worrying fact given the countrys fast aging population and growing need to improve the quality and increase the number of childbirths.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, only 3 percent of Japanese women make use of pain relievers during delivery. This is in stark contrast to the 50 percent of the United States and 75 percent of France. Some doctors do not even mention genetic tests or pain relief options. In the worst case, a hospital in Tokyo implements a no epidural policy, referring to the use of anesthetics during childbirth. Japan is also lacking in doctors specializing in obstetrics, gynecology, newborn care, and even anesthesiology, mostly as an effect of supply and demand. The lack of demand in those services has led many medical students to prefer more profitable fields such as dermatology and cosmetic surgery. The national health cares salary income cap also makes it more appealing to supplement income with private practice as a plastic surgeon, for example.
This medical trend is rather puzzling considering Japans population crisis, where the fertility and childbirth rate is far below what is needed to repopulate the country. Part of the blame probably lies in a culture that almost glorifies gaman or perseverance during adversity. Many Japanese women consider that good mothers are forged through the pain of childbirth and that suffering is a virtue. While normally a laudable belief, this aspect of Japanese culture might hinder its ability to replenish the population and address its shrinking workforce which can also lead to problems in resuscitating Japans failing economy.
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