Zairyu card request at Hospital

[RetireJapan]

I am actually thinking about what would have happened if I would have shown my 'My number' card to her, since I have had the health insurance added to it my card. I am so used to showing my health insurance card that I just showed that.

Might have worked if the hospital was set up to take My Number cards (not all are and I believe it is still a voluntary thing at this point).

[TokyoWart]

Sorry that you had this bad experience (especially that deep cut). I don't mean to defend the hospital but this reminds me of something that used to happen to me when I was practicing medicine (moonlighting) at Kaiser hospitals in northern California. The community of undocumented workers tended to share Kaiser health insurance cards probably because most of them did not have health insurance and the card itself did not have a photo. You would sometimes get a chart of a patient that should be in their 60's according to what was written in the chart while the person in front of you was much younger (or vice versa). I did not realize we were supposed to watch out for that discrepancy until I had already let several "imposter" patients pass.

[Deep Blue]

If the hospital has an issue with fake or borrowed healthcare cards they should take measures to address this for all their patients… not single out a particular group based on what’s most likely to be prejudice rather than data.

[RetireJapan]

If the hospital has an issue with fake or borrowed healthcare cards they should take measures to address this for all their patients… not single out a particular group based on what’s most likely to be prejudice rather than data.

According to this Q&A, hospitals can carry out ID checks 'when they feel it is necessary': https://kouseikyoku.mhlw.go.jp/tokaihok ... 118726.pdf

They are also instructed to do so in a manner that does not result in discrimination based on nationality

[northSaver]

Although there are a few things that irritate me in Japan (my father-in-law being the main one), I guess I'm in the minority here in that showing my gaijin card isn't one of them.

"May I see your zairyu card?" --> "Sure, no problem!"
"May a take a copy of it?" --> "Knock yourself out."
"May I draw on your face in permanent marker to look it make funny?" --> "What, even funnier than it is now? Err, maybe not." [gotta draw the line somewhere]

So the "see and copy" part wouldn't irk me in the slightest. I know it's bad I'm not doing my bit by complaining on behalf of other foreigners, but... life is too short for that I feel.

As for the "getting it out of my wallet" part. Well first off if the wallet was in my trouser pocket at the time then that would have been an interesting experience, and possibly exciting! But assuming it was somewhere out of reach (I wonder why?) then I think the reason she did this boils down to one of two things:

1) She is a brilliant logician who correctly surmised that as she was required to get the card right now, and as you were incapacitated and couldn't do it yourself, and as she hadn't yet mastered telekinesis, then the only solution was for her to get it herself. She probably thought that this was so obvious that there was no point in asking for your permission.

2) She is just one of the many people who work in hospitals here in Japan who have a different view of "customer service" than shops, hotels, restaurants and the like, and is just trying to get through her busy day as best she can. I have encountered many hospital staff over the years and can confirm that some are indeed ill-mannered, just like in other countries I guess.

So yeah, you might want to mention the wallet incident to the manger next time you go. Or you might not. It's up to you of course, but personally I wouldn't bother.

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

If the hospital has an issue with fake or borrowed healthcare cards they should take measures to address this for all their patients… not single out a particular group based on what’s most likely to be prejudice rather than data.

According to this Q&A, hospitals can carry out ID checks 'when they feel it is necessary': https://kouseikyoku.mhlw.go.jp/tokaihok ... 118726.pdf

They are also instructed to do so in a manner that does not result in discrimination based on nationality

I think this is why they are trying to persuade everyone to use the My number card, so these situations don't need to happen. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have shown my number card. In my defence, the receptionist asked only for my health insurance card and there was quite a lot of blood coming from my leg, I was concentrating more on trying to stop the bleeding and getting blood all over the reception area.

Don't they want to integrate the zairyu card into my number card soon?

As I mentioned earlier, it was more the manner the office lady went about her way, I was being stitched up under local aesthetic and she went into my wallet. I think she could have waited.

[RetireJapan]

Been thinking about this as we talked about it on RetireJapan TV last night.

I'm pretty sure you don't need to show your zairyu card, just a form of valid ID (many people default to asking for zairyu card because that is something all NJ have, but a driving license or My Number card should be fine).

I don't think they need to copy it, so showing My Number might be useful in that regard as people are loath to make copies of that, where they happily copy driving licences or zairyu cards.

[Deep Blue]

I'm pretty sure you don't need to show your zairyu card, just a form of valid ID

The healthcare card is already a valid form of ID.

Many Japanese won't have photo ID. So there can not be a requirement to show it.

[RetireJapan]

Many Japanese won't have photo ID. So there can not be a requirement to show it.

Read the Q&A I posted from the MHLW

The healthcare card is already a valid form of ID.

Doesn't have a photo, which is why I presume they are scrapping them next year.

[Deep Blue]

Many Japanese won't have photo ID. So there can not be a requirement to show it.

Read the Q&A I posted from the MHLW

The healthcare card is already a valid form of ID.

Doesn't have a photo, which is why I presume they are scrapping them next year.

Yes, but they are not scrapped yet. What should a Japanese who doesn’t have a passport, MyNumber card or driving license present for photo ID?