DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i10.056

Pages: 3961-3963

An earthquake measuring 6.6 MW on the moment magnitude scale struck Iburi Subprefecture in Hokkaido, Japan, on 6 September 2018. The earthquake caused electrical power failure in all households in Hokkaido. Such long-lasting, severe power failure forced medical facilities located in this area to use in-house power generation systems. Accordingly, four of the six disaster-base hospitals located in the Higashi-Iburi area had to reduce their treatment of patients. One hospital in Muroran City had to transport patients who needed mechanical ventilation due to a shortage of fuel for the in-house power generation system. The Japan Self Defense Forces Sapporo Hospital was equipped with a complete in-house power generation system and plenty of fuel for providing typical medical treatments, even in cases of power failure, so this hospital responded to the sharp increase in the number of patients requiring emergency medical treatment due to the earthquake. The present survey showed that electric power failure can have a profound influence on the function of hospitals, even if the hospitals themselves are relatively undamaged. The disruption and reduction of hospital functions in the event of a disaster may be minimized by ensuring preparedness with an in-house power generation system.