Medical Support in
Disaster-Affected Areas

When large-scale disasters occur, the continuity of regional healthcare becomes difficult due to the suspension of medical services, shortages of physicians and nurses, and disruptions to transportation networks. In response, Medley provides support aimed at maintaining healthcare delivery systems in disaster-affected areas, including through the use of online medical consultations.

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, evacuation orders were issued for 12 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture, resulting in the collapse of local healthcare systems. In Odaka Ward of Minamisoma City, one of the affected areas, evacuation orders were lifted in July 2016 and residents gradually returned. However, many returnees were elderly, and a significant number faced difficulties in accessing medical care due to physical limitations and transportation constraints. At the same time, Odaka Hospital—the region's core medical facility—was operating with a limited staff of one full-time physician and three part-time physicians on a rotating basis, making the provision of home medical care a key challenge.

Against this backdrop, Minamisoma City and Medley introduced online medical consultations at Odaka Hospital in May 2017 for patients requiring home medical care. When a physician determined that online consultation was appropriate, a nurse visited the patient's home with a tablet device, and the physician conducted the consultation remotely via the device.

This initiative was implemented with the aim of reducing physicians' travel time and maintaining and strengthening the local healthcare delivery system by expanding the number of patients who could be treated.