Photo/Illutration A large number of staff at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Medical Hospital are required to move a patient with severe COVID-19 symptoms to ensure that tubes are not accidentally removed. (Provided by Tokyo Medical and Dental University)

The word triage, which derives from the French verb "trier" meaning to sort or select, initially applied to wool and coffee beans.

Medical triage, as we know it today, was introduced during the Napoleonic Wars, according to an encyclopedia I consulted.

The term appears to have denoted a process of treating wounded soldiers with relatively minor injuries so they could be shipped back to the front, while those with serious injuries were tended to later.

Today, triage is practiced in times of major natural disasters when the overwhelming number of patients must have their priority for treatment determined.

I was alarmed to hear this term from Japan Medical Association Chairman Toshio Nakagawa who told a news conference on Jan. 13, "Medical collapse is progressing nationwide. It may become necessary to resort to triage."

Nakagawa alerted the nation to the latest surge of serious cases of COVID-19 that are getting out of hand for front-line medical personnel. 

In Tokyo, the number of patients waiting to be admitted to medical institutions has surpassed that of those who are already in hospitals or designated hotels. 

Obviously, every person must try their best to prevent infection, so as not to further burden the already strained medical system.

But on the other hand, is enough effort being made by the nation's health care providers to balance supply and demand?

Japan ranks among the top in the world in the number of beds per capita and has fewer COVID-19 patients than in Europe. Why, then, is the Japanese system overwhelmed?

Hiroyuki Morita, a doctor and medical journalist, points out in the February issue of monthly magazine Bungei Shunju that Japan lacks the mobility for flexible utilization of its medical resources.

One explanation Morita gives is that because most health care services are privately managed, the government cannot issue orders, and rivalries among the health care providers are not conducive to collaboration, either.  

A structural problem such as this requires funding and sound strategies to rectify.

And seeing to this, I believe, merits priority over discussing penalties for wayward businesses and individuals, especially if overworked front-line medical personnel are to receive the support they deserve.    

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 15

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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