Table 2.
Characteristics of public health centers (PHCs) and health centers (HCs) run by city/town/village governments
| PHC | HC | ||
| Government level | Prefecture, major city, and special wards of Tokyo | City, town, and village | |
| Director | Certified medical doctor | No medical qualification | |
| Medical professional | Medical doctor, dentist, pharmacist, veterinarian, public health nurse, dietician, etc | Public health nurse and dietician | |
| Legal authority | Supervision, audit, licensing, and suspension of restaurants, medical facilities, etc | None | |
| Health check-up | For those in close contact with infectious disease patients | For children | |
| Vaccination a) |
None | Oral polio and BCG | |
| Treatment b) |
Dental diseases and designated diseases | No |
a) The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recommends vaccination programs not at HCs, but at clinics or hospitals.
b) Although Okinawa prefectural PHC treated tuberculosis in the past, no other PHCs have conducted such treatments to date.