Supporters

Kumiko Tanaka
Nurse, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital

My impressions of participating in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident Victims Support Project

During two weeks from May 22, 2004, I participated in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident Victims Support Project. It was the first time that a nurse was assigned to this project team. I considered it a very important duty. What follows is a report of the work I performed on that occasion.

I was engaged in thyroid gland examinations conducted in Brest in the Republic of Belarus.

Through this examination project, I came to realize that those exposed to radiation had reached young adulthood when they experience marriage and child-birth and that many of the people examined under the project for the past 12 years who had had childhood thyroid cancer and operation (cancer extraction) would require long-term medical surveillance. I thus recognized how those who would lead the next generation were facing such severe problems.

Before visiting Brest, I received training for thyroid examination (fine-needle aspiration for the thyroid). The ultrasound machine and other equipment being used in Brest had been previously donated by our hospital. At first I was rather perplexed by procedural and other differences. The examinees were those selected from among the people who had been considered to be highly susceptible to thyroid disorders through local screenings. Some of them came from distant places.

What I learned, as a member of the medical team, from participating this project was that, even in an extraordinary situation, one should fully understand the duties as an expert (in my case, a nurse), recognize and respect the roles of those in other job categories, instantly recognize what one can do on-site, and recognize the importance and necessity of conducting medical care on a medical-team basis and actually perform one’s own duty.

As part of this project, the current state of physicians invited for training was confirmed and evaluated. The participation of a clinical technician and a nurse has made it possible to make such evaluations from their perspectives. An evaluation of this kind will enable further improvement of the examination project being conducted for the promotion of the health of the radiation-exposed in this country. An important point here is that the people of this country should consider what they can do in their own way for the benefit of their country and pass it to the next generation.

The activities of a nurse include assistance for medical work performed by a physician. The country does not have a licensing system for nurses. Instead of nurses, nursing assistants usually support examination work. The status of those engaged in nursing work seemed to have not been well established in that country. Apart from nursing work, examination facilities and techniques should also be evaluated to ensure that the local people can undergo examinations safely and comfortably. To that end, it will be necessary to educate people who can conduct examinations more accurately and speedily.

By involving myself in a project related to the radiation-exposed through my own profession, I had a very important opportunity to direct my attention to the international situation and enlarge my perspective. There is an A-bomb survivor in my family, and I was raised in Hiroshima and learned about the atomic bombing. It seems very meaningful for me to be employed by the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital and given an opportunity to participate in this project. Making the best use of the important experience gained through this project, I hope to make continued efforts to contribute to the world as a human being.

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to those who kindly helped me in this project.

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