目指せ、家庭医療ジャングル！ Let's Grow a Family Medicine Jungle!

 

目指せ、家庭医療ジャングル！

長いこと、芽が出るかどうかも分からない種を、あちこちに蒔き続けてきました。

なかなか芽が出ないこともあれば、せっかく出た芽が枯れてしまうこともありました。

それでも諦めずに蒔き続けていたら、最近、どうも様子がおかしいのです。

蒔いた覚えのない場所から、思いもよらない形の芽が、勝手に顔を出し始めています。

いわきだけではありません。東京でも、あちらこちらでも。

しかも、かつて芽吹いた人たちが、今度は自分で種を蒔き始めている。

誰も頼んでいないのに、勝手に育って、勝手につながって、勝手に増えている。

実にけしからんことです（笑）。

でも、これこそが私たちの目指してきた姿なのかもしれません。

誰かが管理しなくても、それぞれが自分の場所で育ち、互いに影響し合い、新しい命を育んでいく。

一本の大木を育てるつもりが、いつの間にか森ができ始めていた。

だったら、もう遠慮することはありません。

病院の中だろうが、街のどこかだろうが、学校だろうが、商店街だろうが。

ところかまわず、家庭医療の種を蒔きまくってやろうじゃありませんか。

どんな芽が出るかは、育ってからのお楽しみ。

きれいに整列した人工林なんて、目指していません。

いろんな木があって、草があって、花が咲いて、ときには妙なキノコまで生えてくる。

そんな、雑多で、たくましくて、生命力にあふれた場所。

目指すは、家庭医療ジャングル！

もっとも、蒔いている本人が、そろそろどこに何を蒔いたか覚えていないのですが……。

まあ、いいでしょう。

勝手に芽吹くくらいが、ちょうどいい。

さあ、次はどこに蒔こうかな（笑）。

Let's Grow a Family Medicine Jungle!

— Keep Planting Seeds, and Let the Unexpected Happen

For years, we have been planting seeds of family medicine wherever we could.

Seeds that might sprout.

Seeds that might not.

Sometimes, nothing happened.

Sometimes, a tiny shoot appeared, only to wither away before it could grow.

Still, we kept planting.

We didn't always know whether our efforts would bear fruit.

But we believed that planting those seeds was worthwhile.

And so, we continued.

Lately, however, something rather strange has been happening.

Seeds are beginning to sprout in places where I don't even remember planting them.

And not just in Iwaki.

In Tokyo.

In other communities.

In places we never expected.

Even more surprisingly, people who once grew from those seeds are now planting seeds of their own.

Without being asked.

Without instructions.

Without anyone telling them what to do.

They are growing, connecting with others, and creating entirely new opportunities.

All on their own.

How wonderfully outrageous!

（笑）

But perhaps this is exactly what we have been trying to achieve all along.

Not a system that depends on one person constantly directing and managing everything.

Not a carefully controlled organization in which everyone must grow in the same direction.

Instead, a living network where people develop in their own ways, influence one another, and create new possibilities.

We thought we were trying to grow one magnificent tree.

But somewhere along the way, a forest began to emerge.

And if a forest is already growing, why stop there?

Let's turn it into a jungle!

Inside the hospital.

Outside the hospital.

In schools.

In shopping streets.

In cafés.

In neighborhoods.

Anywhere people live, work, learn, and connect.

Let's scatter the seeds of family medicine everywhere!

We don't need to know exactly what will grow.

That's part of the fun.

We are not trying to create a perfectly organized plantation, with identical trees standing neatly in straight rows.

We want something much more interesting.

Different trees.

Wildflowers.

Vines climbing in unexpected directions.

And perhaps even a few rather mysterious mushrooms appearing out of nowhere.

A place full of diversity, resilience, creativity, and life.

A place where unexpected encounters lead to new relationships.

Where people learn from one another.

Where healthcare professionals and community members grow together.

Where the ideas of family medicine take root far beyond the walls of any hospital.

Our goal?

A FAMILY MEDICINE JUNGLE!

Of course, there is one small problem.

The person who started planting all these seeds is gradually losing track of where he planted them.

But perhaps that doesn't matter anymore.

After all, the most exciting thing about a jungle is that it doesn't need someone constantly telling it how to grow.

It simply grows.

And grows.

And grows.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do is plant the seeds—and let life surprise us.

Now then…

Where shall I plant the next one?