On May 14, Okayama University held the G7 Kurashiki Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting in Okayama Follow-up Event, “The Ideal Work-VA (work style and workplace) We Create” – Digital + Resilience + Human Assets Well-Being – at the Okayama Visionary Commons (OUX) (simultaneously streamed online). This event was implemented for the purpose of supporting and providing a follow-up to the G7 Kurashiki Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting, which was held under the theme of “Investing in Human Capital” in Kurashiki City on April 22 and 23. Approximately 100 people in total attended the venue and online event.

After opening remarks from President NASU Yasutomo, a video message of support from Her Royal Highness, Princess Abze Djigma, holder of an honorary PhD from Okayama University, was broadcast.

Then, the Deputy Director of the Doctors and Other Medical Professions Workstyle Reform Promotion Office, Medical Professions Division, Health Policy Bureau, FUJIKAWA Aoi, delivered a keynote speech titled “Aiming for Medical Workplaces Where Everyone Can Shine and Work Comfortably – from Beyond the Goal of Workstyle Reforms for Doctors.” She said: “As the start of wosrkstyle reforms for doctors is approaching in 2024, task shifting and task sharing across various professions throughout medical institutions as a whole are necessary, and it is important to increase efficiency by making use of medical expertise in order to achieve these reforms. All staff members in each workplace are the main parties.”

In the presentations, Lecturer MAKI Jota from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Okayama University Hospital, who serves as Architect of the Kibichuo Town Digital Garden City Promotion Council (Assistant to the Chief Architect for Medical and Nursing Care), introduced initiatives in a special digital garden health zone. The lecturer explained the system to support local residents using digital technologies and the mechanism by which the pre-hospital emergency transport assistant system enables an enhancement of the emergency medical system and a reduction in working hours, thereby leading to a work style reform for medical professions, under the title of the “Role of Universities in the Formation of Active VA – Ideal Work-VA from the Perspective of Creating Engaged Communities.” In addition, Doctor SUDA Masei from Suwa Central Hospital, who serves as Architect of the Chino City Digital Garden Health Special Zone, delivered a presentation titled the “Challenge of Shifting Tasks to Make them More Motivating and Rewarding.” He explained the idea that the addition of digital technologies (D) to an AX (Analogue Transformation) results in a DX (Digital Transformation), and said that eliminating barriers among professions and “optimizing” tasks is a future AX model, while introducing an example from Chino City.

After that, a panel discussion called “Building a Career that is True to You: What is the Ideal Work-VA to Expand Your Potential?” was held, with Director MAEDA Yoshinobu from Okayama University Hospital as the Chairperson and Professor MORI Keiko from the Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University as Moderator. During the discussion, Youth Representatives KISHABA Tomoki (5th-year student, Faculty of Medicine, Okayama University, One Young World Ambassador) and KATO Yuiko (3rd-year student, Faculty of Health Sciences, Okayama University, SDGs Ambassador “Copain”) expressed their opinions on ideal workplaces, and in response, Lecturer Maki and Doctor Suda provided advice as senior members of the medical front. Chairperson Maeda made the comment that: “While there are various individual hopes and expectations, workplaces should be places where diverse lifestyles are respected – and then diverse choices can be made.”

At the end, the “Ideal Work-VA (Work Style and Workplace) We Create Declaration” was announced and agreed upon, with the applause of all the attendees.

The declaration is as follows:
○ Full text of the Declaration (Japanese) [PDF]
○ Full text of the Declaration (English) [PDF]