A free health consultation session was held at the APFS office on February 9, 2020. A consultation with a medical doctor, along with blood pressure, body temperature, urinalysis, and height and weight measurements were performed. Twenty people registered for the event, and eighteen were present. More than half of the participants were from Bangladesh, with the remainder from India, Pakistan, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso. There were participants who did not have valid residence visas, did not have health insurance, and who were worried because they could not go to a regular hospital. Our consulting doctor was Dr. Mitsumi Ikeda of Nishio Hospital, who specializes in internal medicine. She said that this was her first time to examine such a range of foreign residents. She stated that it was difficult because it required a wide variety of knowledge and judgment.
Of course a health consultation of this scope is limited in the illnesses it can discover, but there were participants who had not had their blood pressure measured, or had a urinalysis done in a long time, and who turned out to have high blood pressure, or protein or sugar in their urine. Through this health consultation, there were participants who unexpectedly discovered a bad condition with their health. It was an impetus for them to go to the hospital and to notice medical conditions before they worsen. These opportunities are especially valuable for foreigner residents who do not have valid visas and health insurance, so we intend to continue them on a small scale.
