5.1 National Health Insurance
There is no guarantee when you may fall sick or get injured. It will be problematic if you do not have enough money to seek medical consultation, especially in a high medical-cost society like Japan . For members of the National Health Insurance scheme, they pay subscription fees according to their income, and in return, the scheme will help to pay for any incurred medical costs for treatment of illness or injuries etc. Foreigners who will be staying in Japan for more than a year, have to register themselves under the National Health Insurance. Note that the scheme does not cover all kinds of medical procedures like health examinations, orthodontics, expensive dentures and childbirth.

5.1.1 Registry procedure
Apply at the local office (Citizen Division, Ikoma city Office for the individuals living in Ikoma city) according to the area you live. You need to bring along your valid visa (one year or more) and a valid Alien Registration Card. You can get your National Health Insurance Certificate ( hokenshou ) after completing the registration. Most people will normally register for National Health Insurance at the same time when they are registering their addresses or change-of-address with the city office.

5.1.2 Insurance fee
After registration, you will need to pay a monthly fee. The fee depends on your income and the city you live in. International students can get a discount when you report that you are not making any income during the registration.

5.1.3 Contents of the payment

Individual-coverage for medical care (outpatient)	When you show your National Health Insurance Certificate at hospital, your cost will be 30% of the total medical cost plus the cost of medicine.
Payment for expensive medical care	If you visit the same hospital about the same medical problem within the same month, you are entitled to a payment cap of 72,300 yen (35,400 yen for municipal non-taxed citizens). Any costs that run above the caps amount will be covered by the insurance; however, your receipt will be required for reimbursement. So remember to keep them!
Subsidy for childbirth and child care	When giving birth, a subsidy will be provided for a child. (The amount is different depending on municipality.)
Funeral cost	About 50,000 yen (The amount is different depending on municipality.)

For details, please consult the municipal office.

5.2 Nara City Health Subsidy Allowance System for International Students
Nara City is offering a health subsidy program to international students who have satisfied the conditions listed in the box below. The program is inaugurated with the aim of keeping the students healthy so that they can achieve better results with their studies. The health subsidy is 16,500 yen per annum.

An international student who
1. is registered in Nara City.
2. has lived or expect to live in Nara City more than one year.
3. joins national health insurance program at Nara City.

If you want to apply for this health subsidy, please ask the Student Affairs Division to help complete the application procedure.

5.3 Medical Fee Reimbursement System for International Students
When international student fall sick or get injured and paid medical consultation fees for seeking treatment, the Association of International Education, JAPAN(AIEJ) will pay 80% of the cost the international student has paid.

(Criteria for medical fee reimbursement)
Subject should hold "College Student" visa status and meet any of the following requirements.
- Member of the National Health Insurance
- A dependent whose householder is a member of company or government's health insurance plan.
- Subject who cannot participate in the National Health Insurance scheme as the period of stay is less than a year

How to apply
If you get sick or injured-
1. Show your National Health Insurance Certificate when seeking medical consultation at a hospital.
2. Pay the medical bills at the account desk.
3. Get a receipt from a doctor (Use the designated form*).
4. Submit the application form* to the Student Affairs Division .
5. 2 or 3 months later you will receive utmost 80% of the money you paid.

*Forms are available at the Student Affairs Division .

(Notes)
1. You must submit application form and medical receipt to the Student Affairs Division by the 5th of each month.
2. Please settle the medical bill in the same month as the medical consultation. If you fail to submit the medical receipt by the deadline, you can reapply next month. You must apply for the medical fee reimbursement within one year after the medical consultation.
3. Medical fee reimbursement applies to the medical treatment which is covered by National Health Insurance. Some treatments like health examinations, orthodontics, expensive dentures and childbirth are out of coverage.

5.4 Disaster and Accident Insurance for Students
When students (including non-regular students) are injured during the course of their studies, extra-curriculum activities in and outside campus, they can seek damage compensation from the insurance. The amount of compensation will depend on the degree of damages or injuries, however the limit is 20 million-yen.

The following table gives a breakdown of the insurance fee.

1 year	2 years	3 years	4 years	5 years	6 years
1,200yen	2,100yen	3,050yen	3,900yen	4,700yen	5,400yen

Ask and apply: Student Affairs Division

5.5 Other insurances
If you stay in Japan for short time and cannot join the National Health Insurance program, you should apply for foreign travel insurance, which will help reduce the burden of medical costs. The foreign travel accident insurance does not cover all sicknesses and injuries. It is better to apply for the travel insurance before coming to Japan.

You may join optional insurances such as accident insurance that covers traffic accident, injury during travel, and damage insurance that covers the damage to other person or other person's property.

5.6 Getting check-up at hospital
When you go to the hospital, you need to bring along some money and your National Health Insurance Certificate. Consultation hours vary depending on the hospital, but most of the big hospitals are open in the morning on weekdays and closed on both weekends and national holidays. Please phone and check the consultation hours beforehand. Some hospitals are open for consultation on weekday afternoons, at night and on Saturdays.

There is no reservation for medical appointment, except for dentist, you have to queue up for consultations.

Most of the larger general hospitals are well equipped with the largest medical equipment and accept a wide range of patients. However, the queue is usually long and you probably have to spend a long time waiting. Most receptionists at hospitals and clinics do not speak foreign languages, so if you cannot speak Japanese, please ask a person who speaks Japanese to come with you, or bring a note about your condition in Japanese.

The first visit to a hospital
The following procedures are usually taken for your hospital visit.

1. Reception for new patients
In a general hospital, there is a reception counter for new patients ( shoshin-uketsuke ) where you tell your medical problem and ask which ward you should go. You need to submit your examination application and National Health Insurance Certificate to the receptionist. Some hospitals provide a consultant corner.

2. Ward reception
There is a reception counter in each ward where you should fill out some forms.

3. Consultation room
Upon hearing your name being called, you can enter the consultation room to see a doctor. If the medical examination is necessary, you may go to a special room.

4. Calculation desk
You get your prescription at the ward reception counter, and then proceed to the account desk.

5. Account desk
You pay your bill at the account desk.

6. Pharmacy
You go to pharmacist's counter to pick up your medicine. (Some hospitals have a pharmacy outside the hospital.)

*You have to show your medical examination card on your next visit to the re-examination counter.

*See the lists of hospitals and dentists in the Appendix.

5.7 Health Care Center (Refer to 2.2.2 )
The Health Care Center is responsible for supporting and providing medical assistance to both staff and students. It provides health examinations and gives guidance on daily health.

Services of Health Care Center

1. Medical examination
When you feel unwell, do not hesitate to go to the Health Care Center. If it is not a serious illness or injury, the staff provide a treatment or prescribe a medicine. If there is not enough resources to handle your case, the center will recommend you to a hospital.

2. Health consultant
If you have any concerns or worries, you may approach the doctors or nurses. Professional counselors are available 2 times a month. All your information is kept confidential, so please feel free to visit.

3. Medical checkup
Medical checkup is held once a year for all the students and staff. Also, you may be required to undergo checkup for RI, X-ray and rearranged DNA. The notification of the checkups is done by e-mail and bulletin boards. If the results of the check-up required you to get a re-examination, please do that as soon as possible.

4. Medical checkup certification
The center issues a medical checkup certification for purposes like seeking employment and admission from other universities. You need to go through all the items in the regular health checkup. The certificate will be issued at the Student Affairs Office (issued on the some day), or at Health Care Center (issued on the same day), or at Health Care Center (issued in 1-2 days).

5.Self check
In front of the center, there is an automatic stature, weight meter, automatic sphygmomanometer and an automatic eyesight meter. Please feel free to use them.

6. No charge and no disclosure
All usage of the health care center is free. Please use the equipment and machines with care. For cases when you are referred to another hospital, you have to foot the medical bill. All medical reports and conditions will be kept confidential.
Director : Dr. Naohiko Ueda (Extension 5105)
Reception for the clinic: Nurse Kinuyo Nishiyama (Extension5108)

5.8 Pregnancy and Birth (Refer to 1.7 )
The local governments offer many free services like health guidance for pregnancy, health examinations etc. International students/researchers can get these services if you have completed alien registration at the municipality.

If you become pregnant, you need to hand in a report to the municipal office to receive a boshi-techo (maternity passbook). This passbook contains important information regarding mother's health, childcare and preventive vaccinations. The passbook is also used to record the mother's and baby's health conditions, so do remember to bring the book along when you are doing a checkup, birth delivery or bringing your child to the hospital or public health center.

The cost for giving birth is not covered by the National Health Insurance. However, if you are a member of the National Health Insurance, you can get a subsidy for birth and childcare.

5.9 Preventive vaccinations
The local government gives free vaccinations for preventing children from infectious disease. You can get these services for free if you have completed alien registration at the municipality. It is not an obligation to take the vaccinations. Parents will decide whether their child will take the injections or not.

When you come to Japan with your children and then return back home, you should make a record of the injections and special vaccinations your children had. Consult a doctor about the medical history of your children before receiving any vaccinations.

The diseases covered by the vaccinations: polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus (DTP), measles, rubella, Japanese encephalitis and tuberculosis.

Please check the maternity passbook or public magazines or ask directly to the municipal office, for the age and time to get the vaccinations.

5.10 Pharmacy
In Japan, cold remedies, headache remedies, stomachache remedies and salves can be purchased at regular drug stores. In the explanation of these medicines, the dosage mentioned depends on the ages, but in most cases it is calculated by the standard average of weight and age for Japanese and the explanation of the medicines is often written in only Japanese. Therefore, it is better to consult the pharmacist about your condition before you buy a medicine at a pharmacy (drug store). You should ask the pharmacist for a list of important medications to keep at home for personal and emergency usage. A first aid kit will come in handy as well. Some pharmacies also sell cosmetics and commodities other than medicines.