Photo/Illutration The Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital in Tokyo (Toshio Tada)

Hospitals affiliated with medical colleges around the nation are financially battered by the novel coronavirus pandemic, having incurred huge losses stemming mainly from a decrease in patients and surgeries and more unused hospital beds.

A survey by the Association of Japan Medical Colleges found that 133 university hospitals recorded a total loss of 31.3 billion yen ($292 million) in April and May.

Caring for COVID-19 patients imposed a huge burden on many of the hospitals because they had to call in additional staff to ensure that infections did not spread within the premises.

At the same time, the number of patients fell during the two-month period because many people opted not to visit the hospital due to fears they might become infected.

The study, carried out in June, covered the 136 hospitals affiliated with 82 medical colleges. All but three hospitals replied.

In April, the 133 hospitals covered in the study had total revenues of 233.7 billion yen, a 10.1 percent year-on-year decrease, while operating expenses totaled 252.8 billion yen, a 0.2 percent increase.

That accounted for the total loss that month of 19.1 billion yen.

In May, revenues totaled 211.8 billion yen, a 16.1 percent decrease, while operating expenses came to 224 billion yen, a 4.2 percent decrease. The total loss for May was 12.2 billion yen.

The number of outpatients in April dropped by 21 percent over April 2019, while the decrease in May was 27 percent.

Use of hospital beds in April was 72.4 percent, a decrease of 11.6 percentage points, while in May the use ratio was 64.2 percent, a decline of 16.4 percentage points.

While each hospital set aside a certain number of beds for COVID-19 patients, a drop in infections in May led to lower use of hospital beds.

The association cited the drop in patients and surgeries and increase in unused hospital beds for the decline in revenues.

Yukio Yuzawa, the association chairman, held a news conference on July 20 when the results of the study were released and said the bleak financial picture pointed to a structural problem in which hospitals that took in a larger number of COVID-19 patients were faced with shouldering larger expenses.

He called on the government to expediently implement the second supplementary budget, which has provisions to support medical institutions.

The financial crunch felt by many hospitals led some to eliminate summer bonuses for staff, leading to a mass walkout by nurses at Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital. The hospital later said it would consider paying the bonuses.

The association study found that of the 83 hospitals that responded, 70, or 84.3 percent, said they would pay bonuses similar to past years. Six hospitals said they would or planned to reduce the summer bonuses.

Thirty-four hospitals said overtime hours worked by staff had increased from past years.

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