Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium
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| National Sanatorium Okinawa Airakuen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 1192 Sumuide, Nago, Okinawa, Japan |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | HealthCare of those who had leprosy |
| Type | National hospital run by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) |
| Services | |
| Beds | 423 (Japanese health and medical law) and 309 (in-patients) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1938 |
| Links | |
| Website | http://www.hosp.go.jp/~airakuen/ |
| Lists | Hospitals in Japan |
Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium, (National Sanatorium Okinawa Airakuen) is a sanatorium for leprosy patients or ex-leprosy patients at Sumuide, Nago, Okinawa, Japan that was established in 1938.
History
History before the sanatorium
Major changes
On November 10, 1938, the sanatorium first opened under the name "Okinawa Prefectural Kunigami Airakuen Sanatorium." By April 1941 it was renamed and thus known as the National Kunigami Airakuen Sanatorium.
- Apr 25, 1946: Under American Military Government.
- Apr 1, 1952: Ryukyu Government Kungami Airakuen.
- Aug 26, 1961: Hansen's disease prevention law of Okinawa promulgated.
- May 15, 1972: Okinawa returned to Japan. "National Sanatorium Okinawa Airakuen"
- Apr 1, 1996: The previous leprosy prevention law was abandoned.
Sanatorium and the War
Nearly 400 new leprosy patients were hospitalized by the Japanese army in September 1944 for a total of around 913 patients. This high population led to food deficiency, and housing conditions were miserable. When the Battle of Okinawa began in April 1945, sanatorium director Hiroshi Hayata allowed patients to leave in order to avoid the battle. By the end of April, American forces had occupied the sanatorium.
After the war
- August 1945, the director of the army hospital visited the Sanatorium.
- March 8, 1946, the "Yagaji Sanatorium", meaning the sanatorium on the Yagaji Island, became the restricted area.
- In 1949, Dr.V.Scorebrand visited the Sanatorium, and tried to use promin.[clarification needed]
- In July, 1953, Dr.Doull visited Okinawa for two months and reported various recommendations concerning leprosy.
- In March 1951, Okinawa "Save-Leprosy Patient" Association started.
- In Feb 1954, the Jichi-kai(Patients' association) of the Airakuen started "Tomonokai", an association for those who were discharged from the Airakuen and Miyako Nanseien.
- In Feb 1960, an outpatient clinic started in Naha City. Similar clinics were built later in Ishigaki -jima and Miyako -jima.
- In March 1957, the Japanese Government started to send leprosy specialists to two Okinawan sanatoriums.
- In 1967, Okinawan schoolchildren surveys were started.
- Apr 1996:The 1953 Leprosy Prevention Law was abolished.
- Jul 1998: The trial for compensation started.
- May 11, 2001: The trial for compensation ruled that the previous Leprosy Prevention was unconstitutional.
- May 25, 2001: The trial for compensation was confirmed. The compensation of 8,000,000 yen to 14,000,000 yen was given to patients depending on the duration of unconstitutional periods.
Number of patients
| Year [1] |
Number of in-patients |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 657 |
| 1950 | 881 |
| 1955 | 909 |
| 1960 | 936 |
| 1965 | 755 |
| 1970 | 670 |
| 1975 | 655 |
| 1980 | 697 |
| 1985 | 641 |
| 1990 | 583 |
| 1995 | 539 |
| 1999 | 472 |
| Year [2] |
Number of in-patients |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 355 |
| 2004 | 341 |
| 2005 | 326 |
| 2006 | 309 |
| 2007 | 291 |
| 2008 | 276 |
See also
Notes
References
- The transitions of the leprosy policy (1999) Kazuo Saikawa, Okinawa Leprosy Prevention Association. in Japanese.
External links
- Airakuen Sanatorium HP, in Japanese