Only 20 percent of hospitals linked to an emergency medical transport system responded to calls for information on available rescue support teams during the first day of the October earthquakes in Niigata Prefecture.
The system, established by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, was meant to coordinate the movement of injured people by matching hospitals' requests for help with facilities and doctors available at other locations.
The ministry said Tuesday that only 20 percent of the 547 medical institutions and local municipalities taking part responded to its call to submit information on Oct. 23, when the first of a series of strong quakes hit Niigata Prefecture.