[Transition of Rosai hospitals and their pharmaceutical departments]

The Rosai hospitals were established in Kyushu, Tokyo and Tochigi after the war in 1949 for the purpose of treating work-related accidents. They were originally run by the Occupational Health Association, and were subsequently taken over by the Labour Welfare Organization, which was established in 1957. Thereafter, the organization opened 39 hospitals including the newest, Yokohama Rosai Hospital, which opened in 1991. Since 2004, the hospitals have been managed under the direction of the Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization. Due to dramatic improvement in the working environment over the chaotic postwar and high-growth periods, the percentage of patients who visit a Rosai Hospital due to a work-related incident has decreased remarkably from around 50% to the current 4%. Therefore, in order for Rosai hospitals to continue to be operated as hospitals, they have been transformed into medical institutions that provide workers with medical services that facilitate activities to consistently maintain the health of workers. These activities include the prevention and treatment of work-related injuries and illnesses, and support for patients returning to work after an injury or illness. In addition, pharmacists at Rosai hospitals originally performed prescription-related tasks upon employment by the individual hospitals, but after the establishment of the United Working Group of Pharmaceutical Departments of Japan Rosai Hospitals in 1972, they focus on carrying out academic research, exchanging knowledge with one another and improving the social status of pharmacists. During the days when an increasing number of hospitals were opened, the number of pharmacists at Rosai hospitals increased to nearly 500, in parallel with their increased workloads. These numbers later decreased to roughly 370 due to the amendment of laws related to medical care and a transition to external prescriptions. Recently, the number of pharmacists has an increased again as a result of an increased focus on medical safety and the idea that "for the answer to anything about medicine, you should ask a pharmacist" has begun to spread. Furthermore, the pharmacists at Rosai hospitals have closely monitored overseas pharmaceuticals every year since 1994 as part of their project to support workers overseas, and due to this activity, they are highly appreciated by overseas workers. As a result, this activity is planned to be continued in the future.