Rules near N-plant put doctors in tight spot.

Rules near N-plant put doctors in tight spot

Akihiko Kano and Yukiko Takanashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

Yomiuri

Residents of Fukushima Prefecture near a crippled nuclear power plant are having a hard time getting treatment in hospitals and even having their lives put in danger by government rules that have disrupted the area's medical system.

The situation is particularly bad in areas designated by the government as evacuation-prepared areas, which are between 20 kilometers and 30 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. In much of these areas, the government has restricted hospitals' ability to accept inpatients.

Meanwhile, many residents have returned to their homes from evacuation shelters after a government advisory urging them to stay indoors was canceled. This has apparently increased the number of patients being taken to hospitals by ambulances. Doctors at restricted hospitals, however, have no choice but to send these patients to other medical …