I would first like to sincerely thank everyone for their support and understanding of Kumamoto University Hospital.

More than three years have passed since the global spread of COVID-19 and, as the 8th wave of the pandemic came to an end, COVID-19 was newly classified as a Category 5 disease on May 8th of this year. Until recently, various social, economic, and educational activities had been restricted due to the pandemic. Medical professionals have faced burdens beyond imagination, in both dealing with COVID-19 patients and with coworkers being unable to come to work due to being infected or potentially infected.

Moving forward, a wide range of medical institutions will continue to handle both inpatient and outpatient cases. At Kumamoto University Hospital, we will continue to respond to local needs and provide treatment, primarily for severely ill patients with COVID-19. We plan to collaborate closely with other medical institutions, local authorities, and medical associations to fulfill our role in protecting the health and welfare of the local community.

The philosophy of our hospital is this: "Through advanced medical safety management, we practice patient-centered medical care, we strive to make advances in medicine and educate medical professionals, and we contribute to the welfare and health of the community." We are the only advanced treatment hospital in Kumamoto Prefecture, and we serve as the last bastion in local medical care. All of us together at Kumamoto University Hospital strive to listen carefully to our patients and their families, provide leading medical care under advanced medical safety management systems, and contribute to the health and welfare of the local population.

In order to provide the highest levels of medical care in Japan, Kumamoto University Hospital houses a number of specialized centers, including the Organ Transplant Center, the Cancer Center, the Cancer Genomics Center, and the Advanced Medical Care Development Center, as well as a cutting-edge medical environment featuring surgery assistance robots, a hybrid operating room, and an ambulance specifically for use in transporting newborns.

As a clinical education center for advanced medicine, we train high-level medical personnel who possess expert knowledge and skills and an international mindset, and who can actively participate in regional medical care and the society of the future. We also train medical personnel who can adapt to the swift changes in medical needs as a result of a rapidly aging society, emerging diseases, disasters, etc., and we also actively participate in personal exchange and support to aid local medicine. Kumamoto University Hospital is home to a Local Medicine Support center, a Disaster Medical Education and Research Center, and an Emerging Infectious Disease Countermeasure Donation Course, and trains and deploys not just general practitioners, but also puts effort into training medical specialists in disaster medicine and emerging diseases.

Additionally, we hope to continue to work hard in research on diseases that are still difficult to diagnose and treat, to develop new diagnostic and treatment methods, to contribute to the advancement of medicine, and to spread new information throughout the world.

we sincerely believe it is our mission to work hard together as a team to answer the needs of patients and their families who are suffering through the difficulties of disease and provide the best care we can.