TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A growing number of Japanese hospitals are introducing programs that promote a more understanding and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ people, helping to give peace of mind and improved health outcomes for a community that is often ostracized, even by the medical establishment.

The psychological hurdle of disclosing one's sexual orientation and gender identity, a concept known by the acronym SOGI, is significant for many in the country's LGBTQ+ community, and some are reluctant to see a doctor due to insensitive remarks they have received from health care professionals.

Seibo Hospital in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward has prepared a leaflet for first-time visitors, explaining that it is "committed to creating an environment free of discrimination and prejudice" on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

At its general information desk, the hospital displays the rainbow flag, a symbol of pride and activism for the LGBTQ+ community, endorses the same-sex partnership system introduced in some areas of Japan and provides a dedicated consultation service to address concerns.

The same-sex partnership system, which was first established in Tokyo's Shibuya and Setagaya wards in 2015 before spreading to many municipalities, is not legally recognized at the national level.

According to the hospital's chief nurse Tomomi Yamamoto, Seibo adopted a SOGI manual in 2022 following the hospitalization of a transgender woman.

Respecting the will of patients regarding explanations and consent for surgeries and treatments as its basic tenet, the manual also addresses concerns their same-sex partners might have.

As situations differ, Seibo emphasizes conversing with patients on an individual basis. In response to requests from same-sex couples, the manual has been revised to remove expressions such as "daddy" and "mommy" or other expressions that might be considered exclusionary.

"Our goal is to provide medical care that is tailored to each individual patient" rather than treating them as exceptions, Yamamoto said.

A 2019 survey of 10,000 sexual minorities conducted by Yasuharu Hidaka, a professor at Takarazuka University, found that 8.3 percent of respondents had not visited a medical facility for fear of discrimination due to sexual orientation or other reasons.

This was particularly true among transgender men and women in Japan, with ratios of 38.8 percent and 51.2 percent, respectively.

Among reasons given in the survey for declining to seek hospital treatment, some said they had been "flatly turned down" for medical care because of their sexual orientation or gender identity or had doctors who used discriminatory expressions when speaking with them.

Hidaka said there are many people who suffer from mental health issues, and the connection with medical facilities is crucial. "Hospitals need to change to eliminate people's reluctance to see doctors," he said.

Last year, Hidaka published an LGBTQ+ book that aims to show hospitals how to conceptualize the problems facing sexual minorities and help them come up with ways to improve medical care.

Collaboration among hospitals has also started to address the issue.

Kochi Medical School Hospital in Kochi Prefecture, western Japan, became the first public university-affiliated hospital to establish a support team for sexual minorities in 2023, taking a page from programs promoted by Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo.

The team comprises some 10 doctors and nurses who have treated and provided psychological care to HIV-positive patients. They saw a need to support gay patients who were troubled by the prospect of receiving hospital treatments.

Activities by the team include seminars for sexual minorities and distribution of rainbow badges to participants.

Learning by example from groundbreaking hospitals like Juntendo, the team leader Seisho Takeuchi, an associate professor at Kochi Medical School, said as a national university hospital, Kochi exerts "a great deal of influence" on other medical institutions in the prefecture.

"We will actively provide information on our programs and team up with other hospitals to expand their support" for sexual minorities, he promised.

(By Satoe Matsumoto)