In addition, parents need to preview films themselves or use online resources to judge appropriateness of individual films for their children. Go back to the top. Japan's obstetricians are distributed among a large number of small hospitals that typically only have basic laboratory services and often only on a limited basis. Approximately 40 percent of Japan's annual deliveries occur in clinics with 19 or fewer beds. A majority of facilities do not have anesthesiologists, and one physician commonly serves as obstetrician and anesthetist.
Obstetricians are the only specialists routinely delivering babies.
The reason two-thirds of Japanese women currently choose to have their deliveries in clinics and small hospitals is not necessarily because they are less expensive, but probably because these small hospitals often are located relatively close to women's homes, which is an important consideration because many women choose to return to their hometown for their delivery so that their mothers can provide assistance following the birth of the child. Uncomplicated vaginal delivery can be a lucrative business in Japan. Unlike other medical services, the fee for this service is not regulated by the national fee schedule because childbirth is neither a disease nor an injury and thus not part of the standard coverage. Instead, the patient is given a fixed amount from insurance plans that more or less pays for the cost of hospitalization and delivery and the patient has the freedom to go to any facility. Consequently, physicians and hospitals compete on the basis of perceived quality and amenities, as well as price, although price may be a secondary consideration for the prospective parents who usually are willing to spend money for the festive and infrequent event of giving birth.