Hi Reddit- Long story short, I’m a traveler from the US and need to get a refill of insulin pretty urgently (think < a week), but the system does not seem to make it easy and resources are scarce.
I tried going to a larger hospital, but they said there is a massive intake fee for showing up without a referral. I tried going to a smaller clinic (mall clinic? are they scuzzy?), but they said it would be 50,000 just to see a doctor and get a prescription. I can’t afford to throw around 50,000 on just a perscription alone.
I really need advice / help on where to start for getting insulin on a short timeline without paying several hundreds in non-pharmaceutical expenses. I’m considering a hop flight to a country where insulin is more accessible since I am making no headway here. Advice is very much welcome.
2 comments
Please check out the medical resources on the [wiki!](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/wiki/medical)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/japanlife) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do you have travel insurance? Try St. Luke’s international hospital. To see a doctor would require a first time visit fee of ¥5000 plus the typical visit fee and prescriptions. Without using the national health insurance you will pay 100%. The hospital can provide a translator to help you explain what you need but they might make you do lab tests to confirm you condition before just prescribing medication. If you have your original prescription and maybe a letter from your doctor at home things might be easier. If it’s an emergency just go to the emergency department.