Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) has released recommendations on increasing public participation in the healthcare policymaking process, “Increasing Public Participation for Better Healthcare System Reform Policy – Recommendations for those that do and do not go to the hospital, and everyone who supports the delivery of safe medical care.” This research is accompanied by a research report examining public expectations toward healthcare, “Healthcare System Reform and the Value of Healthcare – Public Opinion Research on the Views of Citizens and Patients.”

The recommendations were generated through discussions at symposiums and roundtables with experts from industry, Government, academia, and civil society. Key recommendation include: (1) increase opportunities to communicate with the public about the current circumstances facing Japan’s healthcare system in a clear, straightforward manner; (2) listen to the public; and (3) hold transparent policy discussions and make decisions in view of the public. The full document summarizes the actions that each healthcare system stakeholder can take to achieve these key recommendations.

The public opinion research produced five key takeaways: (1) the public does not necessarily feel the need to increase healthcare system financing; (2) the public is probably ready to support more progressive funding schemes for the healthcare system; (3) people tended to be more supportive of increased health system financing if it would lead to quality improvements, as opposed to maintaining or improving healthcare access; (4) there were higher expectations toward overall quality improvements than for improvements targeting specific diseases, and people expressed expectations for technological innovations; and (5) people do not seem to feel ownership over the system, or that they are a stakeholder in its policies.

Commenting on the issue of public participation in policymaking process, HGPI Chairman Kiyoshi Kurokawa said, “The COVID-19 pandemic over this past year has reminded each of us of the importance of the healthcare system, and brought to light the resource limitations it faces. Using the internet, anyone can see in an instant what each country has done for COVID-19 and how their healthcare systems have performed. The world can also easily see the successes and failures of Japan’s system. I hope that these recommendations help to advance the truly multi-stakeholder debate that we need on what kind of healthcare system we want to create moving forward.”

■ Related events:

February 17, 2021 The 2nd Roundtable Discussion on “Public Participation for Better Healthcare Reform”
February 8, 2021 The 1st Roundtable Discussion on “Public Participation for Better Healthcare Reform”
January 22, 2021 Innovation and Sustainability Symposium “Expectations Toward the Future Shape of the Japanese Healthcare System Exploring Issues of Cost, Quality, and Access Identified in Public Opinion Research”