TOKYO, Jul 9 (NNN-NHK) – A survey showed 27 percent of nursing homes and related service facilities in Japan, may go bankrupt or shut down operations in a few years, if prices and utility costs continue to surge, local media reported yesterday.
The online survey, conducted by nursing care groups in Mar, covered around 1,200 nursing care homes and facilities across Japan. The survey found that over 90 percent of facilities have been affected by rising prices and costs, according to Kyodo News.
Among multiple answers on how these facilities are dealing with increased costs due to price hikes, the most common was saving electricity and goods, followed by withdrawing savings and reducing or forgoing salary increases and bonuses, the survey showed.
“Nursing care facilities are not able to pass on cost increases to consumers, in the same way as other companies, and this has a significant impact on their business,” said an official of Minkaikyo, an association of nursing care providers.
There are also concerns about a potential decline in the quality of nursing care services, as some facilities have either reduced staff or postponed hiring, due to high prices, said the report.– NNN-NHK