Japan's shortage of health care workers is impacting families of hospitalized children, with a recent survey showing approximately 85% of affected parents are forced to regularly care full-time for their children despite paying patient fees.

Not only did the survey by St. Luke's International University show some 70% of these working parents have had their professional lives impacted, whether by the need to quit entirely or take leave, the issue is also compounded by the fact that the facilities are not sufficiently equipped to host them.

Parents are usually not served meals, and they often have to sleep on makeshift beds or sleep next to their ailing children in the same bed. Some parents can be required to stay for months at a time depending on their child's situation.