Sdf Medical Staff To Be Sent To Hokkaido
Japan's defense minister has ordered the Self-Defense Forces to send medical teams to a city in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido to help deal with a surge in coronavirus cases.
Kishi Nobuo said at a news conference on Tuesday that he received an official request from the governor of Hokkaido for a dispatch of SDF medical personnel to Asahikawa City.
Kishi said the situation in Hokkaido indicates the need for immediate medical assistance. He said two five-member medical teams including nurses will be sent to the city as early as Tuesday.
On Monday, Asahikawa City officials asked the prefecture to request that the SDF send medical personnel. The city officials had decided that they could not secure enough nurses to deal with a series of infection clusters at a hospital and care facility there.
The Defense Ministry is also considering sending nurses to Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, where medical workers are struggling with surging cases. The prefecture plans to open the Osaka Covid-19 Critical Care Center next week.
