Maternal and infant health services and the public health clinic

The public health clinic under the jurisdiction of prefectural government should continue to play a major role in maternal-child health services. Ministry of Healths revision plan for Maternal-child Health Law according to which maternal-child health services are to be transferred totally to municipal (city-town-village) government is strongly opposed by public health nurses and others. The plan goes against the current movement and effort to revitalize public health clinics where more 50% of services rendered are maternal-child health related. Secondly municipal health centers would have much more difficulty providing quality services than prefectural public health clinics which receive annual federal aid for their operation. Federal funding for maternal-child health care regardless of jurisdictions is currently 1/3 of standard unit cost. Extreme financial strain on municipal governments would result in regional differences in the quality of services and/or eventual financial burden on the patients. While the national government is trying to emphasize administrative aspects of the public health clinic it is ordinary citizens day to day health problems that people expect the clinic to deal with individually via check-ups health counseling home visits public health education and telephone health hot line.