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Budget cuts could affect 119 emergency services

Nearly two-thirds of the emergency services in counties nationwide will be affected by the withdrawal of funds from the central government starting July 1, KMT lawmaker Chen Shei-saint (陳學聖) said yesterday.

Chen said that budget cuts will mean that nurses who now field incoming 119 calls to fire departments will have to be dismissed and replaced by personnel with little or no medical training.

"I must appeal to the Department of Health (DOH) to step in and work toward a solution to this problem," Chen said.

The emergency system was established in 1985 and began to recruit nurses to man the phones in 1995. Emergency calls to 119 are taken by a local fire department and the nurses' main function is to identify the nature of the problem, keep the caller calm, coordinate dispatch vehicles and trauma units and suggest emergency first aid measures.

"This is a professional job necessary for emergencies," said Chen.

Only eight county governments will still have the budget to continue employing nurses. The other 13 counties will have to rely on non-medical help, according to Chen.

The counties of Penghu, Kinmen, Hualien and Nantou -- considered the poorest in Taiwan -- have never had nurses working in 119 emergency services.

In the past, the DOH subsidized the recruitment of four nurses and one researcher for each fire department. But the department has informed the county governments under the system to plan on restructuring personnel assignments or covering the additional costs themselves.

The estimated cost to pay for five professionals is around NT$200,000 per month. The total national budget for the inclusion of nurses in the 119 system is about NT$40 million to NT$50 million.

"It's not a great deal of money, but the program is very important for emergency services," said Chen.
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