Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga. (Image via IAG)

Japan to pledge more fund for hospital facing COVID-19

According to a government's stimulus draft showed on Thursday by Kyodo News, the Japanese government will increase subsidies for medical institutions in order to help them tackle the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Not only the medical institutions but also the government planned to aid the companies maintaining employment despite the slump in the business conditions for two months beyond December. According to the document, the daily payment of up to 15,000 yen per employee stays on. Moreover, the government will also increase the subsidy for local governments looking to assisting restaurants with shorter hours. Yet, no specific figure was confirmed.

For additional measures, the Japanese government is considering a third supplementary budget draft, worth 20 trillion yen for the current fiscal year to March 2021. While some parts of Japan are experiencing COVID-19 resurgence with the daily tally topping 2,600, the new stimulus package is expected to be passed next week by the cabinet of the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga.

The economic package will likely include the extension of the Japanese government's subsidy program to promote domestic travel until beyond its supposed initial expire at the end of January. The draft also showed a new financial aid for the firms working on research and development of next-gen batteries, hydrogen fuel, and carbon recycling, part of Japan's effort to tackle emission to net-zero by 2050.

On Thursday, the number of COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms reached 497, raising concern over the medical institutions. Furthermore, since mid-November, the number of new cases across Japan hit record highs. Since COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, the Health Ministry of Japan tabulated that the country has spent some 2.7 trillion yen for the medical sector to assist hospitals in providing beds for COVID-19 patients and medical workers.

Source: https://bit.ly/2JCNV4B