Would you bring a baby or a pregnant person to the frontline of the battle against coronavirus?

We look to healthcare workers to treat ourselves and our loved ones when in need. These healthcare workers themselves need protection, and get pregnant, just like any of us. I myself, am one of them. There are many of us healthcare workers, such as nurses, pharmacists, caretakers, and doctors, who treat the COVID-19 (coronavirus) patients whilst worrying about the health of their own unborn babies.

I am a pregnant doctor. I belong to a hospital where healthcare workers meet directly with patients daily who are coronavirus positive/symptom positive. On one hand, my drive and mission as a doctor are to help every patient I can. But I am fearful. If I contract the disease I will not only be putting myself but also my unborn child, in extreme danger. Conflicted between my sense of duty and guilt, I am searching every day for the best possible way for me to continue.

There is still insufficient information about the effects of coronavirus on the developing fetus and pregnant mothers. We do know that pregnancy brings changes to lung functions, increases the body’s need for oxygen, and causes decreased immune protection. Furthermore, flu and pneumonia contracted in later trimesters often become more severe and dangerous than non-pregnant population. There have already been cases in which some pregnant coronavirus patients were forced to give up on traditional delivery and switch to a Caesarean section, or were quarantined away from their newborns for weeks. Very sadly there was even a case where a pregnant nurse in England, working in a hospital, passed away from contracting the coronavirus.

Currently in Tokyo, most of our designated medical facilities for coronavirus are already lacking beds. It is obvious that a pregnant AND coronavirus positive patient will have a very hard time finding a facility to accept them, whether for a visit or inpatient. Further complicating things, medications that have shown positive preliminary results against coronavirus, such as Favipiravir (sold under brand name Avigan) is prohibited for use by pregnant people.

The fact of the matter is, there have been zero provisions provided by the government to protect our pregnant healthcare workers in Japan.

Those who are fighting hardest for the safety of everyone aren’t even receiving consideration like placement in a less exposed department, or time-off without putting them at risk of losing their job.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare have “requested” workplaces to offer pregnant employees the option to work-from-home or shift their working hours to avoid rush-hours, but there are no sanctions against workplaces that do not follow the “request”. Not only are there no governmental regulations, their statement even clearly says pregnant employees must ask for considerations from their employers themselves.

Our healthcare workers are physically and emotionally exhausted from caring for overflowing patient numbers. They are busy keeping ALL OF US safe. Individually sitting down with their hospital administrators to discuss the best course of action is just not an option for the overworked healthcare workers fighting to keep us alive. In Japan, where workplace rights for women are behind the curve, asking to change to a less exposed and less risky department, or asking for time off whilst the hospitals scramble to maintain its function is nearly impossible.

Healthcare worker mortality is being reported in even the most medically developed countries. This petition aims to show the urgency of protecting immunocompromised/pregnant healthcare workers. This is an especially vulnerable population at a significantly higher risk of contraction than other job areas.

England, France, Australia, and New Zealand have already taken measures to protect their pregnant healthcare workers by removing them from the frontlines of the battle against the coronavirus. France has gone as far as providing compensation to the workers who lost their income as a result of this.

We ask of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for specific measures in order to protect our pregnant healthcare workers.

Children ARE our future.

With this petition, I am appealing to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare to protect the pregnant healthcare workers (and their babies) working on the frontline by taking the following measures:

1. Require workplaces to refrain from placing pregnant healthcare workers in high risk/high exposure positions.

2. Provide financial compensation for pregnant healthcare workers who could not be placed in a safe working environment.

Both as a healthcare worker fighting for your health, and someone wanting to protect our future citizens, I am asking you to sign the petition and spread the word.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Guidance Policy: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_10656.html

England:　

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/2020-03-30-occupational-health-advice-for-employers-and-pregnant-women-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.pdf

France:

https://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/covid-19_faq_hospitaliers_sujetsrh.pdf​

https://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/actualites/presse/communiques-de-presse/article/covid-19-procedure-d-arret-de-travail-simplifiee-pour-les-personnes-vulnerables

Australia:　

https://ranzcog.edu.au/news/covid-19-and-pregnant-health-care-workers