#10,000 Citizen Committee for accelerating socialization of "Care"

Have you heard of the 10,000 Citizen Committee for accelerating "Socialization of Care", represented by Prof. Keiko Higuchi,Tokyo Home Economy Univ. , and Mr.Tsutomu Hotta, President of Sawayaka Welfare Foundation ?.

This committee has been organized in order to accelerate the passagge of the National Care Insurance Law (NCIL) in the Diet and solve care related problems from the citizen's view point. The committee focuses on individual citizen's activities not organization's activities. Therefore, SCNS members will study and join it independently.

NCIL is an insurance system that provides homehelper's service and care-at-home service, etc. for the insurants. At the previous election's time, every political party gave a pledge to establish a new care insurance system, but there are so many uncertainties in terms of availability for home-helpers, facilities, and also funding. There are pros and cons to NCIL, and many points remain unclear.

But, the Committee intends to quickly establish a new system focusing on care related problems, and rouse various discussions from the citizen side in order to solve complex but unavoidable problems one by one.

The phrase of "Socialization of Care" contains the hope that all society shares the effort of supporting the care-needed-elders who increasein number year by year. The basic idea is not only government but also citizens have to work to establish a new care insurance system .

The committee was established in Tokyo on Sep.4th, 1996, with about 400 people attending. Now activities have taken place nationwide to build up a supporting organization . Even in Sendai the Miyagi support group has already started and worked for holding a symposium on Jan.24, 1997. Each member pays 10,000 Yen as an annual membership fee toward a 100 million Yen fund. The vice president of SCNS will join it as one of the driving staff members. Several SCNS members are also confirmed to join it independently.

The symposium entitled "the Care Insurance Law acceptable to citizens" to be held in Sendai is as follows;

Date & Time : Jan. 24th, 1997 14:00-17:00

Place : SHINRIN KAIKAN (old Prefectural Education KAIKAN)

Symposist : Ms.Keiko Higuchi,Prof. of Tokyo Home Economy Univ., Mr.Shozo Ikeda, General Mgr of Regional Autonomy Research, Ms.Eiko Ishige, House of Rep.Member, Ms.Kazuko Demura,President of SCNS. Admission : Free

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