Support for the Survivors
For several years after the end of the war, the occupation government
severely restricted all news and investigation regarding the atomic bomb.
These restrictions prevented the general public from finding out about
the aftereffects of the bombing and kept the survivors from receiving
special assistance. In 1954, triggered by the radiation exposure of the
Japanese fishing boat the Fukuryu-maru V (Lucky Dragon), a movement to
help the A-bomb survivors gained momentum. In 1956, the Hiroshima Atomic-bomb
Survivors Hospital (now, Hiroshima Red Cross and Atomic-bomb Survivors
Hospital) was built especially to offer examinations, treatment, and health
management services to survivors. The following year, the A-bomb Survivors
Medical Care Law was passed, and anyone who obtained an A-bomb Survivor
Health Book could receive money from the government to help with medical
expenses. A nursing home for survivors was also built about that time.
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