A terrible epidemic in Japan

1993/04/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

In Japanese hospitals an infectious disease has spread enormously.

In December last year, through a report published by the Minister of Health, it was announced that in the last six months more than eighty patients in a hospital had died from bacterial infection. The culprit was the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. This bacterium affects the intervened patients. So far the cure has consisted of the use of an antibiotic called methicillin, but its excessive use has led to S. aureus (MRSA), resistant to methicillin.

While in the 590 hospitals analyzed the MRSA was found in 90%, both in Europe and the US only found in 15%.

One of the most important reasons for the extension of MRSA is the excess of prescribing antibiotics in Japanese hospitals.

The Minister of Health establishes official prices for medicines and while the actual prices of conventional drugs are reduced, official prices hardly vary. At the same time, while the kits offer medicine to doctors with a discount of more than 24%, the state pays doctors according to the official prices of the drugs.

According to estimates made by the Minister, the amount that moves through this discount is 1,000 billion pesetas or 50 billion pounds.

Japan, behind the US, is the state with the largest pharmaceutical market.

In January of this year, the Minister of Health had reduced official prices by 8.1% on average and, until 1997, wants to reduce the difference between real and official prices by up to 10%.

Therefore, the more antibiotics doctors recite, the more money they earn.