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I provide care in English to a few patients per day.
I also look after American patients living in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, and Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
When I was living in Boston,
“When you are sick, or worried about your health, it may be stressful if you cannot say in Japanese what you want to convey.”
I used to search for “Japanese speaker.”
There were hardly any doctors who could speak Japanese.
Conversely, I thought that if there were doctors in Japan who could speak English, foreign residents of Japan would be able to speak with peace of mind.
In the United States, through work and musical exchange, I became able to speak English.
After returning to Japan as well, I was often given opportunities to provide care in English at the outpatient clinic of Kyushu University Hospital.
I have become accustomed to providing care in English, including explanations.
The only person who speaks English is the doctor.
You do not need to bring an interpreter.
We have made arrangements so that the medical clerks and orthoptist staff do not have to speak English:
・English medical questionnaire
・Translation functions and apps on iPad, iPhone, and Mac
・If an explanation of a test or anything else is hard to understand, the doctor explains each time
I am also glad to be of help to English speakers.
We provide English-language medical care for several patients each day.
I also offer medical care to Americans living in Sasebo City (Nagasaki Prefecture) and Iwakuni City (Yamaguchi Prefecture).
When I was living in Boston, I looked for Japanese-speaking doctors because I thought:
“If you get sick or have health concerns and can’t communicate in Japanese, you might feel uneasy.”
However, there were very few doctors who could speak Japanese.
On the other hand, I realized that if there were English-speaking doctors in Japan, foreigners living here would feel more at ease when seeking medical care.
In the U.S., I improved my English through both work and music.
After returning to Japan, I had several opportunities to provide English-language medical care at the outpatient department of Kyushu University Hospital.
These experiences made me comfortable conducting medical consultations in English, including detailed explanations.
At our clinic, only the doctor Takeru speaks English.
It is not necessary to bring an interpreter.
To ensure smooth communication, we have implemented the following measures so that our medical office and orthoptist staff do not need to speak English:
• English medical questionnaire
• Translation apps/tools for iPad, iPhone, and Mac
• If the explanation of an examination is difficult to understand, the doctor will clarify it as needed
I am happy to provide medical care to English speakers.
