Avoiding emergency room shortages and providing high value-added services to tourists Medical MaaS “Mobile clinic” service made permanent; travel insurance available for use expanded; foreign tourists

To optimize emergency room visits in Okinawa and add value to tourist attractions Maintain a 365-day-a-year, day-and-night system for responding to travelers' emergencies, and also partner with THE DAIDO FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED to eliminate the need for users to pay for travel insurance for tourists visiting Japan.

The “Project Committee of Constructing Community Renovation Model of Health, Medicine and Welfare in Okinawa to realize Society 5.0 for Okinawa.” a collaboration of over 30 companies and organizations, examined the feasibility of social implementation of the “Mobile clinic Medical MaaS for Tourists,” the first demonstration project of the conference body. The project will be continued after April 2025, as the needs of those with minor illnesses who are not prioritized in the emergency room and the need for collaboration with tourist businesses such as accommodation facilities and car rental businesses were confirmed. (*MaaS = Mobility as a service)

Prior to making the business permanent, we will also strengthen our partnership with travel insurance services. In light of the recent increase in the number of foreign visitors to Japan and the growing importance of improving the reception environment for medical care, we will launch services in March in collaboration with THE DAIDO FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED. The service will cover “Japan travel insurance” that comprehensively covers foreign travelers who rent cars provided by OTS Rent-A-Car operated by OKINAWA TOURIST SERVICE INC. and MARIO Rent-A-Car operated by SATOUKIBI Inc., and “travel insurance to Japan” for tourists from Taiwan arranged by Okinawa Pioneer (LLC). The “Anshin Ryukyu Travel Insurance” covers tourists from Taiwan arranged by Okinawa Pioneer (LLC).

When foreign travelers covered by the policy use the “Mobile clinic,” they only need to contact the one-stop insurance call center, and the “Mobile clinic” will be arranged for them. The “Mobile clinic” system has been strengthened as a medical service that enables foreign travelers to enjoy sightseeing with even greater peace of mind as they can receive appropriate medical care smoothly, and for the local community to avoid emergency room shortages.

*At present, overseas travel insurance and overseas medical insurance are still available with some exceptions. This is the first partnership with a cashless service that does not require replacement.

Background

In Okinawa Prefecture, there is a shortage of doctors on remote islands and in remote areas where transportation is inconvenient and access to medical care is difficult to obtain, and in areas with a high concentration of tourists, access to emergency rooms for patients with low risk of serious illness is reduced. The following are some of the issues that need to be addressed. In order to improve “medical care and welfare” with limited social resources, more than 30 companies and organizations have gathered to seek solutions through medical MaaS, digital collaboration, digital common infrastructure, etc., aiming for “a society where anyone can connect with health, medical care, and welfare in daily life without barriers and lead a cultural life tailored to the community. The “Project Committee of Constructing Community Renovation Model of Health, Medicine and Welfare in Okinawa to realize Society 5.0 for Okinawa.” was established to study model projects with the aim of realizing “a society in which everyone can enjoy a cultural lifestyle tailored to their community by connecting health, medical care, and welfare services without barriers in their daily lives.

The objectives of the project are as follows

(1) Resolve issues related to medical institutions and emergency medical services.

In order to protect limited medical resources in the region, and to ensure appropriate treatment and transport of urgent and critical patients, the “Mobile clinic” will be operated as a highly convenient medical service to reduce the number of convenience visits (visits for non-urgent conditions) and non-urgent emergency requests for nighttime emergency outpatient services. In order to reduce the number of non-emergency requests for medical care, the “Mobile clinic” will be operated as a highly convenient medical service, and an environment will be established where patients with high urgency can receive prompt treatment at emergency rooms.

(2) Realization of a safe and secure tourism-oriented prefecture with high added value

The situation is such that people who should not use the emergency outpatient clinic because the general outpatient clinic is not available are also visiting the emergency outpatient clinic because they are anxious in case of fever or poor health and want to be treated as soon as possible, but it is night time. The “Nuchimasu-go” is a service that can be used during the nighttime when people are feeling unwell, providing an alternative to the emergency room and addressing the concerns of tourists.

Summary

In order to solve the above 1) and 2), which are the project objectives to be solved by this project, we demonstrated medical services as an option other than emergency room visits in resort areas by utilizing a multi-tasking vehicle that can be used for a variety of purposes. In addition to providing medical and consultation services in the vehicle, the effectiveness of the initiative was verified by coordinating the delivery of prescription drugs, and needs were confirmed.

About the Mobile clinic service

D to P with N (online medical care where the patient sits with a nurse) is implemented.

By having nurses visit patients for online medical care, it is possible to provide higher quality medical care while protecting limited medical resources. Specifically, nurses go to the place of stay with a vehicle loaded with medical equipment (12-lead electrocardiograph, pulse oximeter, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, etc.) and measure vitals as needed under the direction of the physician. We provide a series of medical services in cooperation with partner medical institutions, companies, and organizations, ranging from online medical care with a nurse by the patient's side to online medication guidance and even delivery of prescription drugs.

Medical Treatment Hours for Foreign Tourists

After a call is made to the Mobile clinic office, the doctor will visit the hotel or other place of stay.

During the demonstration period, the service was available only on certain days of the week and during certain hours of the day, but from now on, we are preparing a system to be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Comment

THE DAIDO FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED

Tsutomu Shimada, Representative Director and Senior Managing Director

We have been promoting businesses based on sustainability as part of our management plan, and we are very much in sympathy with this initiative. We would like to play a social role while solving social issues. The medical MaaS “Mobile clinic” has a high affinity with our business, and the utilization of “Mobile clinic” in resort areas will lead to improved convenience in the insurance we provide to foreign visitors to Japan, which is one of our business objectives. We believe that this will enable us to realize a safe and secure tourism-oriented prefecture with high added value, which is one of the objectives of our business.

YAKUSEIDO Inc.　

Sayaka Miyazato, President and Representative Director

In the medical MaaS business, however, we are working together in a new form to deliver medicines outside the hospital. Pharmacists in the field also feel a mission and a sense of fulfillment in this new business. With the construction of tourist facilities in the northern part of the island, more and more foreign tourists are expected to visit Okinawa in the future. I believe that providing medical care to tourists will help to prevent a medical shortage and secure the medical system for the residents of the prefecture. I have high hopes for this partnership.”

MRT Inc.　

Tomonari Ogawa,Representative Director

MRT is engaged in the medical MaaS business in various locations throughout Japan, and each location has different needs. In the case of Okinawa, we are proud of the fact that Japan's medical technology is very high even when viewed from a global perspective. However, there are still issues to be addressed in the medical system. We would like to continue our efforts to contribute to improving the quality of medical care on remote islands and in remote areas, as well as in dealing with tourists visiting Japan. We hope that through this partnership we can contribute to making Japan a safer tourist destination by providing medical services to visitors to Japan, while at the same time solving various local medical issues.”

RYUKYU MOBILITY Inc.　

Yuji Hamasuna, President and Representative Director

We hope to enrich society through mobility. Okinawa has a very weak transportation infrastructure, so in addition to the option of calling an ambulance to go to a hospital or clinic, a service that allows medical providers to pick you up within the scope of your travel insurance coverage will show “how great the reception is in Okinawa. We look forward to this partnership as a service that will allow visitors to Japan from overseas to realize that “Okinawa has such a wonderful resource! Domestic travelers who visit a major hospital for minor illnesses without a letter of referral are often charged a fee for selective care. In such cases, the cost is not much different from calling the Mobile clinic. We hope that you will choose the Nuchimasu as your primary emergency care provider.

FM Uruma Inc.

Yoshikazu Iha, President and Representative Director

The reason why the representative of FM Uruma, a community FM station, is participating in this project is because we would like to help disseminate information to the local community as well as to the rest of the world. I have heard the story of the partnership and the making of the Mobile clinic and I would like to share this story with the people of the prefecture and visitors to the prefecture. We are also making a special radio program about the Mobile clinic and running commercials on it. I think it is important to spread the word first. This partnership is also an attractive service that solves Okinawa's medical issues and adds value as a tourist destination, as it allows visitors to Japan to use the Mobile clinic without paying cash when they are sick by renting a car and purchasing insurance. We will contribute through our programs and other means to inform more local residents and tourists about this service.”

Taira Togashi, representative of the conference body

During the demonstration period, we received requests from tourists staying in Kunigami Village as well as resort areas such as the Chubu region and Onna Village. There are many areas that are practically doctorless at night and on holidays, and we felt that we were able to provide medical care by the Mobile clinic without calling an ambulance or using the emergency room, thereby contributing to avoiding a shortage in the emergency room. This time, in cooperation with THE DAIDO FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED. we will be able to be there for foreign travelers during their stay in Okinawa more smoothly than ever before when they are in trouble or anxious. We hope to continue to contribute to the high added value of Okinawa as a tourist destination, not only for local medical care, but also for peace of mind in the unlikely event of a medical condition.

List of major cooperating companies and organizations

Sponsor of the demonstration experiment:

Project Committee of Constructing Community Renovation Model of Health,

Medicine and Welfare in Okinawa to realize Society 5.0 for Okinawa.

Operation of the Mobile clinci: Ryukyu Mobility Inc.

Support for dispatching drivers: Aplaca.Lab Inc.

Medication dispensing and delivery, etc.: YAKUSEIDO Inc. (Sukoyaka Pharmacy)

Medical system support, etc.: MRT Inc, General Incorporated Association Souikai, KIN oncology wellness clinic

Chubu Regional Coordination Committee, Visiting Nurse Station Ulu, Yoiki Inc.

Communication and application support, etc.: OKINAWA CELLULAR　TELEPHONE COMPANY

Medical policy collaboration: Chubu Regional Collaboration Committee

Regional and lodging office collaboration: HOT Okinawa Research Institute

Digital platform construction support: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Business structure building support, etc.: ALL NIPPON RENOVATION, Roots to Vision LLC, BORDER INC., BUNSUN Inc, FM Uruma Inc, To Aru Office

Transportation collaboration: Blue Mobility Co., Ltd.