As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration pushes to pass labor reform bills in the current Diet session, many major hospitals in the Chubu region are concerned that the bills, which include a cap on the working hours of doctors, could lead to a deterioration in medical services in rural regions.
While experts are looking to improve working conditions for doctors to rectify problems with overwork, most hospitals say it will become difficult to maintain the quality of services with such a serious shortage of doctors, especially outside urban areas.
The bills, if passed, will limit doctors' overtime to 45 hours per month in principle. Under the current law, doctors can work virtually without limit if their employer and the labor union sign an Article 36 agreement, which allows workers to work overtime or on holidays.