The Taiwan Society for Burn Injuries and Wound Healing has issued a call for more plastic surgeons in private practices to lend their services to treating hundreds of people injured by a blast involving powdered cornstarch at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里) on Saturday.
Society president Dai Niann-tzy (戴念梓) said on Wednesday that hospitals trying to treat the large number of burns patients faced a shortage of specialists in plastic and reconstructive surgery, making it impossible to keep up with demand for treatment.
The injuries have exposed problems at many hospitals, he said.
Some plastic surgeons at private institutions have volunteered their services at hospitals treating people affected by the disaster, Dai said, adding that more plastic surgeons and reconstructive surgery specialists are needed.
Dai, a plastic surgeon himself, said the Ministry of Health and Welfare should allow hospitals to recruit more resident physicians who specialize in reconstructive surgery.
He said burn units are not equipped to cope with the nearly 500 people injured at the park.
There are only 128 beds for burn patients nationwide and 167 places in intensive care for those requiring surgery, Dai said.
With hospitals in northern Taiwan strained to the limit dealing with the incident’s aftermath, some hospitals in central and southern Taiwan, as well as the Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Center can take another 15 to 20 burn patients between them, he said.
Tri-Service General Hospital, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and the two MacKay Memorial hospitals have each treated 40 to 60 patients who sustained moderate to severe burns, Dai said, adding that the operating rooms at those hospitals have been in service around the clock.
In response to the shortage of facilities, he said that hospitals should convert some of their surgical wards to burns wards and use their surgical intensive care units to accommodate patients with severe burns.
Dai said that infection becomes a risk four days after a burn is sustained.
He said the society is calling for a meeting with medical personnel from Tri-Service General Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Cheng Kung University Hospital, as well as with the Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation, to discuss means to prevent infection.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS