Disaster Management at Soma General Hospital in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The great earthquake of March 11, 2011, the first of its magnitude to hit Japan in a thousand years, and the consequent tsunami led to unprecedented damage to various areas of the Pacific coast in northeast Japan. Added to these double disasters, residents in Fukushima Prefecture are tormented by the fear of nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant even now. Soma City, with a population of approximately 38,000 people, and Shinchi town, with approximately 8,000 residents, were both severely damaged by the triple disaster. Nevertheless, Soma General Hospital, which is in the service of these communities, and located only 40 km north of the nuclear power plant in question, has been able to fulfill its role as a key regional hospital, delivering medical services effectively with minimal confusion. We would like to review measures that could help deal with similar catastrophes in the future by looking back on this hospital’s performance during the catastrophe.