ALL-HIROSHIMA Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed (HICARE)
After the actual damage of Chernobyl accident was clarified, HICARE was established in 1991 through the initiative of Hiroshima medical and research institations involved in the provision of medical support for A-bomb survivors, and the cooperation of the City and Prefecture of Hiroshima. Through HICARE, medical experts in Hiroshima have built a network with medical and research institutions around the world so as to disseminate the knowledge on the treatment and study of exposure to radiation through training programs, seminars and international symposiums. Moreover, HICARE collaborate with international organizations to strive to further contribute to medical care for radiation-exposed individuals. Hoping that Hiroshima can contribute even more to the world
Vision of HICARE
Promoting new international contributions in cooperation with international organizations from ALL-HIROSHIMA Developing international human resources and disseminating information on medical care for radiation-exposed individuals Establishing a network with the International Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)
|Purpose
The purpose of HICARE is to contribute to medical care for radiation exposed individuals around the world by making the use of the expertise in treating A-bomb survivors and research on the effects of A-bomb radiation, both of which have been accumulated in Hiroshima, which suffered the tragedy of the atomic bombing for the first time in human history.
| Organization
Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed (HICARE) Hiroshima-based consortium comprising eight organizations engaged in
Project Fields
●Effect of Radiation on the Human Body ●Medical Response for Radiation Accidents and Disasters ●Advanced Radiation Therapy ●Medical Support for Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings  Living Outside Japan

1] Acceptance of Physicians
2] and Other Medical Personnel for Training
HICARE provides training programs to physicians and other medical personnel from overseas to share the knowledge and experience in medical care for the A-bomb survivors that Hiroshima has accumulated, so that the participants can use them for medical care for the radiation-exposed in affected areas around the world. Besides hosting such programs independently and co-hosting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), HICARE collaborates with other organizations to provide training, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
■Status of Participants Acceptance
●HICARE participants  20  countries, 615 participants ●HICARE/IAEA participants  29 countries, 222 participants ●Others  980 participants Total  38 countries, 1,817 participants  (as of March, 2024)
| Institutes Providing Training
Hiroshima University Hospital Hiroshima University Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine Radiation Effects Research Foundation Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Casualty Council Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital Hiroshima A-bomb Survivors Relief Foundation, others
Training Contents
Health Effects of Radiation Health Care for A-bomb Survivors Medical Treatment for Radiation Accidents and Disasters Support Measures for A-bomb Survivors Visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Visit to Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital
HICARE sends physicians and other medical personnel to radiation-affected areas around the world to provide technical guidance and information on medical care for the radiation-exposed. In addition, HICARE holds training meetings to physicians and other medical personnel in countries where survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings live.
■Status of Dispatch
●HICARE has sent 204 experts to 16 countries in Europe including Russia and Kazakhstan, Asia, North America, and Central/South America. (as of March, 2024) ●In Japan, following the criticality accident at t the Tokaimura nuclear facility in 1999 and the Fukushima Daiich Nuclear Power Plant accident triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, HICARE dispatched a team of medical personnel including physicians, nurses, and radiological technicians in order to measure radiation levels of the local residents. ●As ALL-HIROSHIMA projects, the constituent organizations of HICARE continually send experts to Fukushima to provide medical support, taking advantage of their respective characteristics.
Purpose of Dispatch
●Technical guidance Chernobyl, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Fukushima Prefecture ●Attendance at international conferences Conferences related to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness and Assistance Network (WVHO REMPAN) meetings, the IAEA international conferences, etc. ●Training meetings on medical care for A-bomb survivors living outside Japan Brazil (Sao Paulo, Culitiba), United States (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Honolulu), South Korea, etc.
HICARE carries out various activities to enlighten the public about the significance and necessity of promoting international cooperation in medical care for the radiation-exposed.
Lectures and Seminars
Major examples ●International symposium“75 years since the atomic bombings, 30 years since the establishment of HICARE and 10 years since Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident" ●International symposium (15, 20, and 25 years since the establishment of HICARE, 50 and 70 years since the atomic bombings) ●Lecture meetings on Chernobyl and Semipalatinsk ●Symposium on medical response to radiation emergencies ●Lecture for the public to share knowledge about radiation ●Ceremony and seminar commemorating HICARE’s designation as an IAEA Collaborating Centre
■ Publishing Projects
In 1992, HICARE published “Effects of A-bomb Radiation on the Human Body." This medical book is the culmination of the wisdom of medical care for A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Subsequent to that, with the progress in studying the late effects of A-bomb radiation, HICARE published second edition in 2012, adding new findings and study results. In 2017, HICARE released “Handbook on Effects of A-bomb Radiation,” an abridged edition in digital form compiled based on the latest study results. ( Visit HICARE' s website for details
With the aim of making further international contributions, HICARE is promoting cooperation with the IAEA, and is also engaged in fostering human resources of the next generation.
|Collaboration with the IAEA
On August 6, 2010, HICARE signed Practical Arrangements with the IAEA to contribute to international peace and stability. In May 2014, HICARE was designated as an IAEA Collaborating Centre in the field of "Capacity Building in Radiation Effects and Human Health." ●HICARE collaborates with the IAEA for international medical training and joint research in the following three fields: •Effect of Radiation on the Human Body •Medical Response for Radiation Accidents and Disasters •Advanced Radiation Therapy ●HICARE provides training as part of the IAEA’s technical cooperation program. At the request of the IAEA (the late Director General Yukiya Amano), HICARE provides training, as part of the IAEA's program, to radiation therapy teams from developing countries to improve cancer treatment in their countries.
■ Developing of Next-generation
Human Resources
●Medical student internships at t the IAEA HICARE sends medical students to the IAEA as interns to foster globally minded human resources who will inherit and further develop the expertise in medical care for A-bomb survivors and study results Hiroshima has accumulated. ●Lecture meetings at high schools HICARE provides lecture meetings to inform high-school students of Hiroshima’s international contributions in medical care for A-bomb survivors and research on the effects of radiation. Lecturers are leading specialists in these fields. These lecture meetings are intended to foster next-generation leaders who will contribute to the world with high aspirations. http://www.hicare.jp/ Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed (HICARE) c/o Atomic Bomb Survivors Support Division, Hiroshima Prefectural Government 10-52 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-8511, Japan Phone:+81-82-228-9901 Fax:+81-82-228-3277 E-mail:hicare1991@hicare.jp