State of Usage and Problems Regarding Childcare Centers for Sick Children in Gifu City, Japan

In Japan, a system of childcare centers for sick children was instituted in 1995 and the number of users has been increasing. In Gifu city, care for sick children was started by the Fukutomi Children’s Clinic in April 1996, and the number of facilities that provide such care increased to four by 2000. Many children who use such childcare centers for sick children are less than one year old. Due to seasonal variation, there were more users in winter. The number of childcare centers for sick children is expected to increase due to societal requirement. Based on our experience, the required capacity is considered to be one child per approximately 1,000 preschool children, and one child per 200 children who attend childcare centers.