Public funds covered more than 90%, or about 270 million yen, of the medical costs incurred by foreign passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was docked at Yokohama Port as a result of a coronavirus outbreak on board, it has been learned.
The results of a survey, which was conducted by Koji Wada, a professor at the International University of Health and Welfare, were reported on Wednesday by a Liberal Democratic Party project team that is looking for ways to combat the coronavirus in preparation for foreign tourists entering the country.
Wada surveyed in June and July 91 medical institutions that accepted the foreign passengers, and 63 responded.
According to the survey, expenses totaled 288.43 million yen for the 342 foreign passengers who received medical treatment. In principle, foreigners are not required to pay for medical expenses covered by health insurance because the coronavirus is designated as an infectious disease by the law on infectious diseases. As a result, about 94%, or 272.19 million yen, was shouldered by the central and local governments.
"With the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games set for next year, the number of foreign tourists will increase," Wada said. "It needs to be discussed whether the coronavirus will be covered by public funds."
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