The wide-area medical transportation following the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Japanese government's control and coordination

摘要

When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011, the first ever wide-area medical transport in Japan was performed. This editorial reviews the central government's coordination of the medical transportation process following the earthquake. In Japan, before the Great Hanshin Earthquake, there was no substantial disaster response system with respect to medical transportation covering a wide area. The fact that many trauma deaths were preventable became obvious after that disaster. In response, the Japanese government implemented a wide-area medical transportation system. This system includes the Doctor-Heli system (helicopters boarded by doctors and nurses) introduced in 20001 and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) introduced in 2004.