President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday inspected the nation’s Lunar New Year medical preparedness with a visit to an urgent care center (UCC) in Taipei and expressed confidence in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s plans to prevent emergency room (ER) overcrowding during the nine-day holiday.
The ministry in November last year launched a pilot UCC program to provide urgent medical care at 13 clinics in the nation’s six special municipalities over weekends and on holidays, aimed at relieving pressure on crowded ERs.
To ease ER overcrowding during the Lunar New Year, when most hospitals and primary care clinics are closed, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) this year also offered subsidies of up to NT$1.6 billion (US$50.98 million) to encourage healthcare facilities to provide services during the holiday.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), NHIA Director-General Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤) and Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) accompanied Lai in his visit to the UCC at Taipei City Hospital’s Xinyi Branch Clinic to understand its preparedness and operations.
Lai said that when Shih took office as minister last year, he reminded him to find solutions to prevent ER overcrowding during the Lunar New Year, so he is visiting to gain a first-hand understanding of its operations and to express gratitude to all healthcare providers across the country for their hard work.
“After hearing every department’s report, I am happy to see their high morale,” he said, adding that he believes the ministry, with the help of local health departments and healthcare facilities at all levels, could readily solve the holiday overcrowding problem.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The number of ER patients during the Lunar New Year typically increases to about 1.5 to 1.7 times the normal level, Shih said, adding that most of them are non-critical patients, so the ministry encourages people to use the NHIA app to find clinics or UCCs near them if they have mild to moderate symptoms to save time and keep critical ER resources available for acutely ill or injured patients.
With the NT$1.6 billion subsidies, the portion of healthcare facilities open during the holiday has increased to about 76 percent of hospitals, 45 percent of primary clinics, and 30 to 60 percent of pharmacies, Chen said.
According to the NHIA, the subsidies would be offered through increased treatment fees to healthcare providers: a 100 percent increase from tomorrow to Thursday, 50 percent on Friday and Saturday, and 30 percent yesterday, today and on Sunday.
Preventive measures for ER overcrowding are not limited to this year, Lai said, adding that the NHIA would continue to improve the plans according to actual results and statistics data, such as patient numbers, types of illnesses and treatment methods, as precision medicine relies on accurate data.
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