The Social Democratic Party yesterday urged a municipal government to create a burn recovery network to benefit more people with donations for victims of the fire that ripped through the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park in New Taipei City on June 27.
A little more than a week after the disaster, the public has donated more than NT$700 million (US$22.5 million) for people affected by the fire, triggering the question of how the money should be used.
“The New Taipei City Government should immediately draw up an integrated plan for the donated money so it can be spent where it is most needed,” party legislative candidate Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) said.
“Besides helping the injured, the money should be used to take care of medical personnel and social workers who have been overworked, as well as to create a reliable long-term burn recovery network, so it will not become some sort of slush fund for politicians to play the patronage game,” she added.
She said the most difficult challenge for victims would be long-term recovery, so it is important to build a well-structured network.
“It does not help to just give out money, because even with the cash on hand, victims probably would not be able to find enough professional personnel and institutions [to provide and manage care],” Miao said.
The money should be used to purchase public facilities for burn patients and for the training of professionals to treat burn victims, she said.
“After such a network is created, it would benefit not only Formosa Fun Coast victims, but also others who suffer burn injuries,” she said.
Miao said that handing out cash could provide only emergency help, while improving the healthcare system and equipment would be the key.
“Those in power should think outside the box that says: ‘Giving money is good enough,’ so the disaster could provide a valuable lesson,” she said.
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