Community Medical Activities in Doctorless Areas of Hokkaido: Shimukappu Village

There are several student organizations in the School of Medicine dedicated to community medical activities. One of them is the Public Health Study Group. Volunteers from medical and nursing students spend about half a month every year in early August working in medically underserved areas of Hokkaido. When it was founded in 1956, there were many doctorless areas in Hokkaido, so the activities centered on general medical care supported by hospital doctors. I have heard that they also conducted parasite surveys and well water quality surveys in parallel. Later, as the health care system improved, doctorless areas in the strict sense almost disappeared, and the nature of the activities gradually changed.

The photo shows the first year of activities in Shimukappu Village, Yufutsu District, in the summer of 1987. Shimukappu Village is located almost in the center of Hokkaido. At that time, a ski resort had just opened in Tomamu a few years earlier, and the Tomamu area was more bustling than the center of the village (the words "Tomamu Elementary and Junior High School" can be seen in the photo).

As it was the first year, we conducted general medical examinations in internal medicine, ophthalmology, and otorhinolaryngology, as well as home visits by students. During the home visits, we asked about the villagers' living conditions and health status, and conducted blood pressure measurements and medical district surveys. As a result, from the following year, the focus of medical activities shifted from general medical care to ophthalmological and otorhinolaryngological screenings.

For home visits, we first made appointments via public phones based on a list provided by the village office (for which permission for home visits had been obtained). Nursing students would stack up ten-yen coins and make calls nervously. They became more capable through various failures, such as getting lost or visiting the wrong house.

While we lived and cooked for ourselves in a community center borrowed from the village, there were happy occasions such as receiving fresh vegetables from the homes we visited. Also, the beauty of the starry sky is beyond description.

During our activities, we received help from many people associated with Keio. For example, the car in the photo was borrowed through the courtesy of Asahikawa Nissan Motor, and I heard this was because the president was a member of the Mita-kai. We also received both material and spiritual support from 34 Mita-kai member doctors within the prefecture. Our activities were possible because of such support, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude once again.

(Naoki Shimada, Professor at International University of Health and Welfare, 1989 Graduate of School of Medicine)