Towards a Land Where Everyone Can Give Birth and Raise Children with Peace of Mind, No Matter Where They Live: The Role of Online Consultations in Bridging Hokkaido's 'Mobility Gap'
Kids Public Co., Ltd. conducted a survey on maternal and child health challenges in Hokkaido's widely dispersed society and reported that online consultations play a role in supplementing regional medical care. Geographical constraints, lack of medical resources, doctor work style reforms, and isolation issues were highlighted.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 02:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 17:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 8, 2026 at 18:28 (56 min after Collected)
Hokkaido is a "widely dispersed society" where the population is scattered over a vast area, and the physical distance to medical institutions and severe weather conditions pose structural barriers that threaten the safety and security of mothers and children. In addition to these geographical constraints, with the full-scale implementation of "doctors' work style reform" from April 2024, the maintenance of maternal and child health in local governments and the maintenance of night and emergency medical systems are facing an unprecedented turning point.
Kids Public Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Naoya Hashimoto) conducted a hearing survey targeting maternal and child health officials in municipalities in Hokkaido that have introduced their services. This report re-examines the challenges in a widely dispersed society and clarifies the role of online consultations as a means to supplement regional medical care.
### About This Hearing
This survey was conducted with the aim of understanding the actual situation of maternal and child health in Hokkaido municipalities and the utilization of online consultations.
- **Implementation Period**: February to March 2026
- **Implementation Method**: Individual online hearings
- **Target Participants**: Maternal and child health, medical, health and welfare officials, etc., from each municipality
- **Participating Municipalities**: Erimo Town, Kuriyama Town, Samani Town, Chippubetsu Town, Tsukigata Town, Numata Town, Hokuryu Town, Moseushi Town, Yubari City (titles omitted, in alphabetical order)
- **Survey Purpose**: Reorganization of maternal and child health issues in a widely dispersed society and verification of the supplementary support effect of online consultations.
### 1. Structural Challenges Faced by Maternal and Child Health in Hokkaido
This survey (hearings with municipalities in Hokkaido that have introduced services) revealed that the field faces "four limitations" where face-to-face support alone is difficult to resolve.
#### ① "Widely Dispersed" Society and Limitations of Access Due to Geographical and Climatic Characteristics
In Hokkaido, due to the population being dispersed over a vast area, the travel distance to medical institutions can be extremely long, and in some regions, it takes a lot of time to commute to hospitals, transport in emergencies, or receive prenatal check-ups. Furthermore, in winter, travel can be difficult due to heavy snowfall, exacerbating this problem. There were comments from Tsukigata Town that there are periods when medical examinations themselves become physically difficult due to snow removal traffic jams in winter.
Also, various municipalities such as Kuriyama Town and Yubari City reported the current situation where it takes 30 minutes to over an hour by car to the nearest core hospital. The environment that forces long-distance travel for medical examinations, etc., leads to hesitation, difficulty in judgment, confusion, and anxiety for parents regarding "whether they should seek medical attention in this situation."
#### ② Lack of Medical Resources and Impact of Doctors' Work Style Reform
There are also challenges in the lack of human resources supporting regional medical care. According to the Hokkaido Medical Plan, comparing the number of doctors per 100,000 population for each secondary medical area, 19 areas, excluding Sapporo and Kamikawa Chubu, are below the national average. Furthermore, four areas—Minamihiyama, Hidaka, Soya, and Nemuro—are less than 50% of the all-Hokkaido average.
Kuriyama Town's medical system has no obstetrics and gynecology department and only one pediatrics department. Night and holiday medical care primarily focuses on internal medicine and surgery, so they have no choice but to rely on medical resources in neighboring municipalities such as Iwamizawa City. In Moseushi Town, medical institutions in the town are limited to small clinics, and the current situation where medical resources are being concentrated in core hospitals within the area is a structural challenge common to many regions in Hokkaido, which is a widely dispersed society. Furthermore, in regions without specialists, such as Yubari City and Tsukigata Town, the concentration of medical resources in urban areas like Sapporo City and Iwamizawa City, and the consolidation of delivery and hospitalization functions within the medical area, have extended the long-distance transport of high-risk pregnant women, which is also a challenge that threatens the safety of mothers and children. In vast Hokkaido, cross-secondary medical area transport is not uncommon, and the lack of a readily available place to "consult first" at night or on holidays is a factor that leads to the concentration of mild cases in tertiary emergency care (advanced emergency care).
Moreover, from April 2024, the "doctors' work style reform" will be fully implemented, regulating the upper limit of overtime work to a principle of 960 hours per year. In Hokkaido, which has a vast area, many regions face a severe doctor shortage, and until now, night and emergency medical care has been supported by doctors' dedicated overtime work. This regulation raises concerns about the reduction of emergency systems and night clinics, and for residents of municipalities that do not have their own emergency outpatient clinics and must rely on distant hospitals, maintaining medical access is a serious source of anxiety.
#### ③ Isolation Issues Unique to Small Municipalities
In addition to geographical isolation, the closeness of human relationships has also brought to light the challenge of a "consultation barrier." Many residents feel psychological resistance to confiding worries requiring intervention, such as childcare anxiety or domestic violence, to familiar public health nurses or government officials. Especially for newcomers without local ties, the fear of information leakage due to a small community is a very delicate issue. Such privacy concerns
Kids Public Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Naoya Hashimoto) conducted a hearing survey targeting maternal and child health officials in municipalities in Hokkaido that have introduced their services. This report re-examines the challenges in a widely dispersed society and clarifies the role of online consultations as a means to supplement regional medical care.
### About This Hearing
This survey was conducted with the aim of understanding the actual situation of maternal and child health in Hokkaido municipalities and the utilization of online consultations.
- **Implementation Period**: February to March 2026
- **Implementation Method**: Individual online hearings
- **Target Participants**: Maternal and child health, medical, health and welfare officials, etc., from each municipality
- **Participating Municipalities**: Erimo Town, Kuriyama Town, Samani Town, Chippubetsu Town, Tsukigata Town, Numata Town, Hokuryu Town, Moseushi Town, Yubari City (titles omitted, in alphabetical order)
- **Survey Purpose**: Reorganization of maternal and child health issues in a widely dispersed society and verification of the supplementary support effect of online consultations.
### 1. Structural Challenges Faced by Maternal and Child Health in Hokkaido
This survey (hearings with municipalities in Hokkaido that have introduced services) revealed that the field faces "four limitations" where face-to-face support alone is difficult to resolve.
#### ① "Widely Dispersed" Society and Limitations of Access Due to Geographical and Climatic Characteristics
In Hokkaido, due to the population being dispersed over a vast area, the travel distance to medical institutions can be extremely long, and in some regions, it takes a lot of time to commute to hospitals, transport in emergencies, or receive prenatal check-ups. Furthermore, in winter, travel can be difficult due to heavy snowfall, exacerbating this problem. There were comments from Tsukigata Town that there are periods when medical examinations themselves become physically difficult due to snow removal traffic jams in winter.
Also, various municipalities such as Kuriyama Town and Yubari City reported the current situation where it takes 30 minutes to over an hour by car to the nearest core hospital. The environment that forces long-distance travel for medical examinations, etc., leads to hesitation, difficulty in judgment, confusion, and anxiety for parents regarding "whether they should seek medical attention in this situation."
#### ② Lack of Medical Resources and Impact of Doctors' Work Style Reform
There are also challenges in the lack of human resources supporting regional medical care. According to the Hokkaido Medical Plan, comparing the number of doctors per 100,000 population for each secondary medical area, 19 areas, excluding Sapporo and Kamikawa Chubu, are below the national average. Furthermore, four areas—Minamihiyama, Hidaka, Soya, and Nemuro—are less than 50% of the all-Hokkaido average.
Kuriyama Town's medical system has no obstetrics and gynecology department and only one pediatrics department. Night and holiday medical care primarily focuses on internal medicine and surgery, so they have no choice but to rely on medical resources in neighboring municipalities such as Iwamizawa City. In Moseushi Town, medical institutions in the town are limited to small clinics, and the current situation where medical resources are being concentrated in core hospitals within the area is a structural challenge common to many regions in Hokkaido, which is a widely dispersed society. Furthermore, in regions without specialists, such as Yubari City and Tsukigata Town, the concentration of medical resources in urban areas like Sapporo City and Iwamizawa City, and the consolidation of delivery and hospitalization functions within the medical area, have extended the long-distance transport of high-risk pregnant women, which is also a challenge that threatens the safety of mothers and children. In vast Hokkaido, cross-secondary medical area transport is not uncommon, and the lack of a readily available place to "consult first" at night or on holidays is a factor that leads to the concentration of mild cases in tertiary emergency care (advanced emergency care).
Moreover, from April 2024, the "doctors' work style reform" will be fully implemented, regulating the upper limit of overtime work to a principle of 960 hours per year. In Hokkaido, which has a vast area, many regions face a severe doctor shortage, and until now, night and emergency medical care has been supported by doctors' dedicated overtime work. This regulation raises concerns about the reduction of emergency systems and night clinics, and for residents of municipalities that do not have their own emergency outpatient clinics and must rely on distant hospitals, maintaining medical access is a serious source of anxiety.
#### ③ Isolation Issues Unique to Small Municipalities
In addition to geographical isolation, the closeness of human relationships has also brought to light the challenge of a "consultation barrier." Many residents feel psychological resistance to confiding worries requiring intervention, such as childcare anxiety or domestic violence, to familiar public health nurses or government officials. Especially for newcomers without local ties, the fear of information leakage due to a small community is a very delicate issue. Such privacy concerns