TOKYOSep 4 (News On Japan) – Japan’s health care spending surpassed 47 trillion yen ($323 billion) in the latest fiscal year, marking the third consecutive year of record spending, a tally by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed.
The ministry said medical expenses totaled an estimated 47.3 trillion yen in the last fiscal year, up 2.9 percent from the previous year, continuing a trend of record-high spending for the third year in a row.
Of this, medical expenses for people aged 75 and over amounted to 18.8 trillion yen, an increase of 4.5% from the previous year.
The ministry blames rising health care costs on the ageing population and an increase in infectious diseases such as influenza, especially among children.
On the other hand, medical expenses related to COVID-19, including hospitalizations and outpatient care, amounted to approximately 440 billion yen, which is about half of the previous year’s total. This decrease is attributed to the reclassification of COVID-19 to a lower threat level and the subsequent decrease in patients.
Source: TBS
