Long-term vulnerability of access to hemodialysis facilities in repopulated areas after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: a case report

In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, and these were followed by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. The long-term impact on hemodialysis care access in rural areas after the disaster is unknown. Here we report on a 66-year-old male hemodialysis patient who was forced to evacuate and relocate multiple times to receive hemodialysis after the accident. While he returned to his hometown in 2012, all the available hemodialysis facilities had been placed in different districts. Therefore, the patient needed to cross a mountain to visit the hemodialysis facility. On a snowy day, the patient was unable to reach hemodialysis care in a timely manner. With community cooperation, a public ambulance successfully transferred the patient via a detour, taking 4 h to reach the hemodialysis facility. This case demonstrates that access to hemodialysis care in rural areas remains vulnerable even in the long term after a nuclear disaster.