Osaka - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
This is my biggest issue in Kansai. This region is known as a global life sciences hub with some of the best R&D on the planet and yet I have found the medical care completely lacking. It seems the standard of care is pretty low for everyone and is targeted to the aged demographic, but the health care is also set up for a national health care/single payer system and doesn't know what to do with non-Japanese. As a foreigner I feel treated like I am from Mars and have found the medical care to be bad, bad, bad. It is MUCH better for foreigners in Tokyo, as is my personal experience. Many of my colleagues previously worked in East or Southeast Asia (Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore) and choose to return there for routine or specialist medical care rather than go to the doctor in Kansai. I have been to primary care clinics, hospital specialists for gastroenterology, dermatologist, obgyn, vascular clinic and it has all been terrible, even for routine care. My husband got a filling from a dentist and it fell out the next day. Fortunately we have had a great experience with our pediatrician, otherwise I would have left my job in Osaka much earlier for a job somewhere else as the bad health care has been really disturbing. Even my Japanese-fluent speaking colleagues struggled with healthcare issues when they had to go to the emergency room. Pain management is non-existent. A colleague was in an accident and when the ambulance came, they sat there for 30 minutes unsure what to do with her and debating which hospital to take her while she was bleeding profusely and had multiple broken bones. I finally felt comfortable with a doctor to have a surgery when a Japanese friend talked me out of it, having gone through the same surgery and explaining the lack of care of pain management for weeks and months afterward would make the experience horrendous (I postponed until I return to the U.S.). - May 2026
Medical care is great. Most doctors know some English. I have a good dermatologist and dentist within walking distance of my apartment. - May 2021
No concerns. - Jul 2018
High quality medical care here. - Oct 2013