Message from the Director of Kobe University Hospital, Kazuo Sugimura, MD, PhD
	>> Top>> Japanese Version Director, Kobe University Hospital Kazuo SUGIMURA MD, PhD
The origin of Kobe University Hospital dates back about 140 years. Kobe Hospital, founded in 1869 in the early Meiji period, evolved into the Prefectural Hospital, the Prefectural Medical School and then the National University Hospital, was the predecessor of the Kobe University Hospital. Since we began functioning as the Kobe University Hospital of the National University Corporation in 2004, we have consistently operated as a hospital for community residents, engendering their trust with this focus. We also aim for the development and promotion of cutting-edge medical care along with the cultivation of medical care professionals, seeking to imbue them with a rich sense of humanity.   As an organization, we aspire to become a global center of medical care. We have put the practice of patient-centered medical care as our fundamental operational principle. In addition to the delivery of high-level medical care, which is the general mission of the university hospital, we have made great efforts to ensure safe medical care and to improve the level of patient service. The appointment of a chief nurse as a vice president, the first such appointment in Japan, has yielded many benefits in the provision of patient services, as a nursing standpoint is now taken into greater consideration.   University hospitals are prone to compartmentalizing medical care. To avoid this, we have set up a department of clinical oncology, but have strengthened our interdisciplinary medical approach for the treatment of cancer. The appointment of a regional center hospital for cancer treatment triggered the establishment of a framework for cooperation among many clinical departments. Not just restricted to cancer treatments, we are continuing to expand our interdisciplinary medical practices to other fields such as lifestyle-related and cardiovascular disorders.   While the transformation into an independent administrative institution of the National University Corporation has brought various difficulties for the University Hospital, it has also provided us with an opportunity to progress various reforms. All staff at Kobe University Hospital bring a strong sense of mission to their efforts to become an medical industry leading hospital that applies cutting-edge technology and services to provide assured and safe medical care. Your support and feedback are very important to us as they will contribute to providing better medical care for our patients