vol.5Top Interview
One Month After the DisasterSetsuo Takekawa, Chairman of Medical Corporate Body KEN-IKU KAI

I would first like to offer a prayer for those who losttheir lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake, andexpress my heartfelt sympathies to those who suffered
loss in this disaster, as well as to the families of thesevictims.
The Ken-Iku Kai Group was also affected by this catastrophe, as Ishinomaki Hospital and Himawari Home
Nursing Station, located in the city of Ishinomaki inMiyagi Prefecture, and Iwaki Yumoto Hospital, locatedin the city of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture, are in
the disaster-stricken areas and suffered devastating
damage. Through continuous efforts to ascertain thewhereabouts and safety of our staff, we have confirmedthat three of our members at Ishinomaki Hospital andHimawari Home Nursing Station lost their lives in thetsunami. As we had hoped that all of our staff would
be found safe, we are deeply saddened by this loss, andI would like to respectfully offer a prayer for thesethree members and my heartfelt condolences to theirfamilies.

1Immediately after the earthquake struck, the Ken-Iku Kai Group set up the Disaster Task Force in order to carryout around-the-clock efforts to transport essential supplies to the two hospitals and facilities that were trying tocontinue providing hospitalization and medical treatment to patients amidst disaster-related conditions (deliveries have been made to Ishinomaki Hospital 11 times; to Iwaki Yumoto Hosptial 10 times); dispatch medical teams
to the disaster-stricken areas (a cumulative total of 23 members); as well as collect and disseminate information(providing updates on its website at least once a day regarding the damage situation, a total of 16 times). On March24, the Disaster Task Force was renamed the Restoration Support Office, and is currently continuing its efforts
to provide support.

Through Supplementary Issues of our Online Newsletter on our Group’s website, we have been reporting on
disaster-related developments to date. At Iwaki Yumoto
Hospital, outpatient treatment has resumed, with functions recovering to almost the same level as what wasoffered before the disaster. The infrastructure of Ishinomaki Hospital and Himawari Home Nursing Station,
both of which sustained substantial damage from thetsunami, has not yet been restored completely. Althoughconditions at Ishinomaki Hospital and Himawari Home
Nursing Station are still unstable, and last night’s (April7) earthquake, which was the largest aftershock since
March 11, caused a power blackout, both are scheduled
to resume outpatient treatment from April 11. As wehave received tremendous support from many concerned parties during the period following the disaster,
I would like to take this opportunity to express mysincerest appreciation. I am deeply grateful.

2After the disaster struck, I myself visited both hospitals and the other facilities, where I had a chance to speakwith some patients and their families. Feeling the will and strength of the people as they worked among thewreckage in their efforts to rebuild, it was I who felt encouraged and heartened. The more I came to understand the situation of the disaster-stricken areas and the emotions of the people there, the more I realized
the importance of “making contributions through providing medical care” at these two hospitals in thedisaster-stricken areas.

3The staff of the hospitals and the facilities are working under very harsh conditions, as they, too, have losttheir homes in the disaster; yet they are carrying out their duties, putting top priority on providing medicalcare to the hospitalized patients. Their devotion to their work has been taken up by the media (*), and thepatients and their families have expressed their appreciation for these efforts. Such staff members, who areselflessly and tirelessly working with a strong sense of duty, regardless of the harshness of the conditions theyface, are the pride of the Ken-Iku Kai Group. In order to provide some stability in their living environment
so they can carry out their work with a sense of reassurance, we are currently supporting the staff by assisting them with such matters as the commute to their workplace and finding housing for them, and we willcontinue to provide them with the support they need.
Uploaded to YOMIURI ONLINE, which is run by Yomiuri Shimbun,
one of the leading Japanese newspapers, at 3:06 a.m., on March18, 2011
Opening article entitled “Mutually extending a helping hand”
appeared in the April 1 issue of Shukan Asahi weekly news magazine, which is published by Asahi Shimbun, one of the leading
Japanese newspapers
Broadcast on News Watch 9 on NHK, a Japanese public broadcaster, from 9:00 p.m. on March 19
Broadcast on NHK Sendai, which is one of the local broadcastingstations of NHK, on April 11 from 12:35, on the News from Miyagi
Prefecture cornerFirst and foremost, we at the Ken-Iku Kai Group are committed to coming together as one to carry out efforts
to fully restore the hospitals that were devastated by the disaster. Furthermore, with the two hospitals andthe other facilities taking a leading role, we continue to provide long-term support to realize the restorationof the disaster-stricken areas.

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