Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed

Akie Yamada
Doctor of General Clinic at Santa Cruz Hospital

This training, taking place over 20 days, was a significant experience for me.
I was able to observe state-of-the-art medical technology when I visited general hospitals and research institutes, in addition to the training I received at the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital. I would like to make use of my new training and knowledge in my country in the future.
It was not until my visit to Hiroshima that I recognized the concept of "Hibakusha", or A-bomb survivors. I learned the importance of Brazilian citizens, as well as second-generation Japanese, appropriately supporting A-bomb survivors.
With its tranquil atmosphere and wide roads, I had few opportunities to see traffic jams in Hiroshima compared to Sao Paulo. Full of flowers and greenery, Hiroshima is a very beautiful city with numerous gleaming rivers flowing across the city. The "Heiwa Odori", or Peace Boulevard, seems to represent citizens' earnest desire for peace. I feel that the name of the boulevard holds important meaning.
Surrounded by gentle and kind people, my time training was enjoyable and fulfilling.

I am engaged in medical activities mainly at the Santa Cruz Hospital in Brazil. (The Santa Cruz Hospital was once called "Nippaku Hospital", or Nipo-Brasileira Hospital.)
Medical check-ups in Brazil are fairly similar to Japan. I conduct both individual and group medical examinations two or three times per week. I am aided in these mass examinations by young doctors from JICA, or the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
With doctors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I participated in a medical check-up for A-bomb survivors living in Brazil last year.