Dr. Muto’s Challenge: Building Ageing Community Healthcare

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In Japan and other developed countries, the conventional healthcare system is facing its limit because of continuing expansion of the aging society, chronic diseases, and the limited public funding for healthcare(ref.1). 

I have been speaking on this issue for some time (the most recent articles  (ref.1:in Japanese)include), I’ve made policy recommendations, urging people to take action, but things are not moving as I hoped, because, I suspect, of oppositions from the conventional interest groups.

However, there are some people who are starting to take action in their own way to make change.  One example is Dr. Yu Muto.

Dr. Muto spent 10 years or so as an established medical doctor. But he left his career in hopes of achieving higher goals. During this departure, he worked outside medical practice for a couple years.
After this experience, he launched an innovative, urban-style community medical practice.

I was deeply impressed to hear Dr. Muto after he started this clinic.  He said, “I left medical practice to search and explore my life work.  As I resumed my work as a doctor in this city of an aging population, I now feel from the bottom of my heart that this is truly what I have wanted to do.” 

Dr. Muto and I had a dialogue (in Japanese) recently, and it is on his website. 

His words reflect his truest feelings. He is following his dream. This is the beginning of something wonderful.  I congratulate him wholeheartedly and will support him in anyway possible.