Abstract
Soma port after the tsunami in 2011. On 11 March 2011 the Great East Japan Earthquake caused a tsunami with approximately 10 meter waves that seriously damaged the Soma port.
After hearing about Fukushima, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it a land of death polluted by radioactive substances? In fact, two million people live in the Fukushima prefecture and about 40,000 people live in Soma city, which is located only 40 km north of the Daiichi stricken Nuclear Power Plant. The evergreen trees in the mountains and the undulating waves crashing against the shore are as strikingly scenic as before the tragic earthquake. For over a thousand years, Soma was just a quiet, old town in the countryside. Now, however, the town is gripped with fear of contamination by radioactive substances.
More than three years have passed since the tragedy where many people were forced to abandon their homes and relocate elsewhere. There are many people moving back to town due to its reconstruction boom. Although our goal is far from complete, we are steadily advancing with the redevelopment process. We plan to continue our work and demolish the old ward that withstood the earthquake, which will be moved into a new earthquake-resistant ward next year. While most things have changed in just a few years, the one thing that has not changed is the relationship between the medical staff and the patients. One of my patients who was hospitalised for the treatment of angina told me, ‘We listen obediently to what you say because you are a trusted doctor in this hospital’. While engaging in clinical residency at my hospital, I kept hearing the same sentiment from many patients. Honestly, I was puzzled by the strong display of trust the patients have showed towards the doctors of this hospital. I wondered why they had strong trust in me, someone who is merely a resident doctor.
Allow me to regress back in time, so I can paint the whole picture. On 11 March 2011, I was a medical student when the horrifying scene slowly unfolded before my eyes like a surreal movie on TV. The tsunami swept away the airplanes on the airfield. There were streaks of smoke that rose from the town that was completely obliterated and the nuclear plant exploded. To tell you the truth, I thought this might be the end of Japan. My family and I were fortunate to have been living in Yokohama city at that time and we were safe from the devastating tsunami that wreaked a havoc on the Fukushima coast. Although I was only a medical student, I visited Fukushima as a volunteer. I visited Soma as a medical treatment volunteer member and was speechless when I saw the disastrous scene. The damage from the tsunami was at a magnitude beyond belief and I am disheartened that I could do nothing, but stand at the Soma port in that moment. This experience is precisely the reason I became a doctor. I longed for the skills needed to respond to this kind of crisis and to help the people in Soma City overcome it.
The Soma General Hospital in Soma, Fukushima, which is located at a distance of only 40 km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, was literally a frontline hospital immediately after the earthquake. This was the only hospital in the province at the time that had the resources to care for the patients who desperately needed help. It was very crowded and the majority of the staff members at the hospital, including doctors, nurses and the co-medical staff worked long hours and they single-handedly undertook treating patients from the coastal region of the Fukushima Prefecture. The tragedy brought the medical staff closer to all patients who were seemingly abandoned, and the lights were never turned off in the hospital. Although a nurse lost her father and brother due to the tsunami, she continued her work in the ward because she was a dedicated professional. Although a pharmacist lost his home by the nuclear accident, he continued to work in the pharmacy. He knew that his work was too valuable to stop working. All the doctors continued to practise in silence just to save the patients. In the words of Sir William Osler, ‘Begins with the patient, continues with the patient, and ends with the patient, using books and lectures as tools, and as means to an end’. When I visited Soma, I knew that the Soma General Hospital was a hospital that embodied those famous words in the textbook.
Currently, I am performing as a trainee doctor at the Soma General Hospital. Patients tell me, ‘I understand doctor; I will follow things as the doctor said’. It was mysterious that even a very demanding patient puts down the demands at the end. ‘Why? Because you are a doctor in this hospital. If you abandon this hospital, I will not have anywhere else to go.’ For them, our hospital is still the last safety zone. As a medical staff member, I became close to patients even at the worst time of the nuclear accident. My altruistic deed was reciprocated by gaining the utmost trust of my patients. I feel very proud as a hospital staff member for this achievement. Therefore, I have been entrusted not to betray such expectations.
I never criticise the medical staff who chose to evacuate on the tragic day to protect themselves. It is human nature and a natural instinct to protect ourselves when our lives are perceived to be in danger. However, for us, hardship gives birth to endurance, endurance gives birth to expertise and the expertise gives birth to hope. We know that hope never ends in disappointment. Of course, countless things were lost by that earthquake, including human lives that could not be saved. However, we gained something by confronting the enormous disaster without escaping. It was the mutual trust that we formed with the patients who had survived. Needless to say, it is very important for the medical staff to build mutual trust with the patients. Therefore, what should the medical staff do to build mutual trust with the patients? The answer is clear and truly important and has not changed from the age of Hippocrates. In other words, regardless of any difficulty, the medical staff have become close to the patients until the last minute. It must not be forgotten that mutual trust always starts from there. Although the aftermath of the earthquake and Tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Crisis is too painful for a lot of people, it reminds us of the importance of mutual trust.
Finally, we want to sincerely express our gratitude to everybody all over the world who supported us during that difficult time. To this day, the relationship between the medical staff and the patients in Fukushima could not be any stronger than it is now. Not limited to medical staff and patients, empathy and support are the elements that create the bridge named as ‘relationship of trust’ in our hearts. Presently, many bridges are laid between us and the people in the world.