Medical services in general are well advanced in Japan and Korea. Howe
ver, intensive and critical care medicine is still on its way to furth
er developments. One particular problem in both countries is the short
age of positions for intensive care physicians and nurses. Although th
ey are well equipped with therapeutic and monitoring devices, there ar
e a limited number of ICU beds. In Korea, the estimated number of ICUs
is 122 or more. In Japan, the number of ICUs is estimated to he betwe
en 229 and 944.