Local News

The Nishinippon Shimbun reports that the use of so-called health care malls, in which health care providers and other related companies concentrate their presence in larger buildings or commercial facilities, is growing. This is also due to pressures from within the industry, as clinics with different specialties join to compete with large hospitals against the backdrop of the increased workload for doctors in hospitals and efforts to cut healthcare costs. The newspaper also points out, however, that the sites for the potential expansion of these facilities is limited, and could result in greater competition among the healthcare malls themselves.