People face fines of between NT$600 and NT$1,800 for calling for an ambulance after sustaining minor injuries or over minor ailments, Ministry of the Interior statistics showed.
The 10 administrative regions that have fines for people who call an ambulance when they are not in need of emergency medical care are Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Miaoli County, Chiayi City, Pingtung County and Hualien County, with fines in Taipei the highest at NT$1,800 and lowest in Hsinchu City at NT$600.
Ambulances nationwide were dispatched more than 1.1 million times last year, a daily average of 3,015, ministry statistics showed. While that was a slight decrease from more than 1.11 million in 2016, it was more than three times the 336,409 in 1998.
Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei Times
The most common reason for ambulance calls last year was traffic accidents, with 330,725, or 37.1 percent, such instances, followed by the onset of acute syndromes at 320,221, or 35.9 percent, the statistics showed.
External injuries and injuries sustained from falls accounted for 91,630, or 10.28 percent, of ambulance calls last year, they showed.
Examples of acute syndromes include acute headaches or vertigo, facial numbness or paralysis, chest pains, back pains, asphyxiation, unconsciousness, intense hemorrhaging and large burns, the ministry said, adding that people in such situations need an ambulance.
People who fall asleep on a roadsides after drinking; sustain light injuries from traffic accidents; require hospitalization; or have a toothache, a cold, a sprain or cuts should be taken to seek medical care without calling an ambulance, it said.
National Fire Agency Chief Secretary Feng Chun-yi (馮俊益) said that the agency would step up communication with the 12 local governments that do not have fines in place for improper ambulance calls as part of its effort to curb misuse of the healthcare system.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS