The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has decided not to grant a newly established subsidy to medical institutions that allow interns to hold part-time jobs at other hospitals, ministry sources said Sunday.
Beginning April 1, the ministry will not give hospitals the subsidy, totaling 6 billion yen, unless they clearly note in their hiring contracts with trainee doctors that part-time jobs are forbidden, the sources said.
It will also order hospitals to prevent the trainees from providing medical services on their own during the first year of training, and to have coaching doctors on hand when trainees are providing such services.
The ministry intends to create an environment in which trainee doctors can concentrate on their training, rather than part-time jobs, and to thwart medical accidents. The move comes before clinical training is made compulsory for trainee doctors in April.
The ministry came up with the measure as interns at a number of hospitals work part time at other hospitals to make up for low wages.
Experts have pointed out that inexperienced trainees could become involved in malpractice while attempting to provide medical service part time.
About 76 percent of the hospitals the ministry has designated as doctor training hospitals said they forbid trainees from holding part-time jobs, according to a ministry survey in 2002.
But about 81 percent of university hospitals polled said they allow such trainees to hold part-time jobs. Pay for trainee doctors is relatively low at university hospitals.
To help solve the financial problem, the health ministry has requested that training hospitals maintain each trainee's annual income at around 3.6 million yen.
The government has decided to beef up the subsidy system to help improve trainee doctors' labor conditions because, starting in April, it will require those obtaining medical licenses to undergo training for two years at hospitals before practicing as doctors.