World

Japan

Extension Social Insurance Coverage in Japan: The Role of the Labour and Social Security Attorney System (Sharoushi)

Extension Social Insurance Coverage in Japan: The Role of the Labour and Social Security Attorney System (Sharoushi)

Labour and Social Security Attorneys, known in Japan as “Sharoushi,” function independently, akin to solicitors, under the supervision of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Their expertise lies in social insurance and labour issues. Japan has a community of 45,000 Sharoushi, and an annual national examination is conducted to recruit new members to this profession. This examination has a notoriously low pass rate of around 5%, marking it as one of the most challenging exams in the country.

India

Indian Hybrid Organization Fighting against Unequal Access to Primary Healthcare

Photograph: DFID

Doctor shortage, poor infrastructure, long wait times (especially for women), high diagnostic costs and extensive travel for treatment…all of these results in avoidable deaths and high mortality rate in rural India. According to the Lancet (2015), more than 2,000 primary health centers in India were operated without a doctor and more than 5,000 have no pharmacist.