On Air: Fukuoka City Information/2014.11.22(Sat)/09:00～

Here’s information from Fukuoka City.

In Tojin Machi, in the Chuo Ward of Fukuoka City, the Fukuoka Children’s Hospital has stood as a high-standard children’s medical center for 34 years. This hospital, developed to provide top-notch care in the local area, moved to Island City in Higashi Ward, officially opening its doors on November 1st.

Drawing on both domestic and international design inspiration, the new hospital now occupies double the land area it did previously. The reception and facilities for outpatients are located on the first floor, and are easy to find. Each department’s information and guidance signs are designed with ease-of-use for foreign individuals kept in mind, including labels in English, or in some blocks of the facility, signs are in English, Chinese, and Korean. Also, the bus route to the hospital is very convenient.

There is a learning center for children located on the second floor of the hospital, decorated with shiri-tori art for children to enjoy along their way to class.

The operating rooms and intensive-treatment facilities are located on the third floor, which has been designed as a center for high-level care. The number of operating rooms has been increased, from 3 to 7, and the maternity and infant care sections have been placed together to offer global pre and post-natal care, as well as to assist infants with severe medical conditions.

The fourth and fifth floors are a place for families to heal together in a recovery environment. Now equipped with many more private rooms than before, care is provided around a 24-hour nurse and medical staff station that is close by to oversee patients’ care. The site also features a playroom equipped with books where therapy can be provided. Furthermore, on the fourth floor is a roof-top garden. More than just a place to relax for a moment, this area also provides patients with rehabilitation services.

The hospital has been designed to carry out its function even in times of large-scale natural disaster, erected with earthquake-proof construction, and a roof-top helipad able to deliver services in emergencies.

It’s good to know that the Fukuoka Children’s Hospital has been renovated and improved, however, according to statistics, the number of children admitted during nights and on holidays to the Fukuoka Emergency Medical Center in Sawara Ward, Fukuoka City, is on the rise in recent years. The Fukuoka Emergency Medical Center and other emergency care facilities in the wards of the city are meant to provide services on an emergency basis in times of need. In most cases, patients are provided with one day’s supply of medicine and advised to seek further medical attention the following day. When symptoms are less than dire, please make an effort to seek medical care from facilities providing help during regular business hours.

When our precious children become ill in the night, their condition suddenly deteriorates, or they get injured, we become concerned. When we have no one to turn to for advice, even light sickness or injury brings on this concern. In such times, please make use of the Emergency Pediatric Care Hotline, where you can receive advice from a time-tested nurse with plenty of knowledge to help you with your situation. Help is available every evening from 7 PM through the following morning at 7 AM. Please make sure that when you contact the center you have someone able to communicate in Japanese do so. The number is #8000. Or you can call 092-661-0771.