Japanese Eye Doctor to Open Base Hospital in Hanoi

Hanoi, June 16 (Jiji Press)--A company run by Japanese ophthalmologist Tadashi Hattori and others obtained investment license Monday from the Hanoi People's Committee to set up a base hospital in the Vietnamese capital. At a ceremony to award Hattori & Dreams Partners with the license, Hattori, chairman of the company, said he wants to teach medical skills to Vietnamese doctors who have the spirit of philanthropy. The new base hospital will be built with investments worth about 300 million yen from companies including Paris Miki Holdings Inc. <7455>, the operator of its namesake glasses store chain. It will open as early as August with five doctors and about 15 nurses. The hospital is for-profit, but Hattori himself will continue offering free treatment to low-income patients. Starting his volunteer work in Vietnam in 2002, Hattori has seen more than 10,000 patients. In 2012, he was chosen as a "Passion without borders" Japanese by the Cabinet Office in Tokyo. END