"Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens" has been promoted to increase the working population, encouraging women and the elderly to join or stay in the workforce. The field of medicine is no exception, and in the face of shortage of doctors, female doctors are expected to join and stay in the workforce.
 Historically, female doctors hoping to work and continue to do so have relied on their family and made a use of locally available nurseries (self-help) and turned to child-rearing friends in the neighborhood (mutual help). For over 10 years, in contrast, it has become much easier to work or continue to do so, as the working environment has become more accommodating to child-rearing doctors, including establishment of in-hospital subsidized nurseries, exemption of over-night duties and shortened work hours (co-help). Observing this situation, the government has also increased the budget for the women's employment each year, and has publicized their efforts to the concerned parties and the citizens in general by means of discussion panels and symposia (public help).
 While there is still room for more to be done, as the working situation for female doctors get improved with fuller support and services, now coworkers of those female doctors have come to suffer a greater workload, which in itself presents another set of problems. There are even those who work only several days, out-patient, earning a considerably big income, and have much time at their disposal, be it for their child's education or their own hobby. How one spends her resources is up to that individual, both time-wise and financially, but this has raised a few eyebrows.
 The author believes that we need to stop and remember who we aspired to become in the first place and remind ourselves that the spirit of self-help for medicine is of utmost importance, with mutual help, co-help and public help to grow only in proportion to the amount of efforts made for self-help.
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