Provisional Translation
| OTO No. | 572 | Classification | MHW-246 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Acceptance | May 12, 1998 | Ministry/Agency Receiving Complaint | Economic Planning Agency |
| Responsible Ministries | Ministry of Health and Welfare | Related Laws | Law for Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists, etc. |
| Complainant | Domestic firm | Exporting Countries | Germany |
| Subject | Abolition of standards for medical models in the guidance standards for medical training facilities | ||
| Description of Complaint | (1) When medical models are imported and sold or delivered to medical training facilities, certain models, depending on the type, must meet the specifications set out in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's guidance standards. (2) In such cases, a certain number of units are needed for dismantling, but the number needed is very large compared to models in common use throughout the world, and since this requirement is unique to Japan, foreign-made models which, although not meeting the requirements for number of units for dismantling, are of equal quality, this effectively bars such products from the Japanese market. (3) Therefore, the guidance standards for medical training facilities should be revised and the specifications concerning the number of units of medical models to be made available for dismantling should be abolished. |
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| Details of Measures | 1. The ministry replied as follows: (1) The equipment needed for training in medical training facilities is selected based on the conclusions of a study group within the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and it is the ministry's understanding that this equipment is necessary for learning and for developing the skills needed for each qualification. (2) Since the training programs for each qualification have been included in the Three Year Deregulation Action Program (adopted by the Cabinet in March 1998) and will be reviewed in turn, this matter will be discussed at that time. 2. The ministry subsequently amended the requirements for physical therapists and occupational therapists on March 31, 1999 and for other training facilities on August 2, 1999, removing the requirement for the number of units for dismantling. |
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| Classification of Processing | A | Directions | III |
| Remarks | |||