Hospitals around Taiwan are quickly filling up as cases of influenza, norovirus and extreme colds rise, leaving ventilators in short supply and some patients to receive medical attention without beds.
Emergency rooms were at capacity in many hospitals around Taiwan as of 12:30pm today, Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics showed.
There were 105 people waiting for admission to National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), 114 at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 112 at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and upward of 100 at other major hospitals around Taiwan, the ministry said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
After the Lunar New Year, even emergency rooms that normally have space have reported 20 to 30 people waiting for care, NTUH Department of Emergency Medicine acting director Chang Wei-tien (張維典) said.
Influenza, norovirus and gastroenteritis cases have increased in number and severity due to cold weather, Chang said.
Furthermore, an increasing shortage of nurses over the past two to three years has forced hospitals to reduce their capacity by 20 to 25 percent, he said.
Emergency departments typically have up to twice the usual number of patients over the Lunar New Year, as primary care clinics close for the holiday, Chang said.
The situation usually eases a few days after the holiday, but numbers have continued to increase this year, as patients with flu-related pneumonia and gastroenteritis are taking up more beds than previous years, he said.
NTUH is working to expedite hospital discharges and admissions to ensure that patients who require hospitalization are admitted as soon as possible, NTUH spokesperson Chen Yen-yuan (陳彥元) said.
Patient numbers have increased by 60 to 70 percent compared with pre-holiday levels, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine deputy director Kuan Jen-tse (管仁澤) said.
A cancer patient requiring intubation was recently transferred to Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, as the patient’s normal hospital had no more ventilators available, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine director Wang Tsung-lun (王宗倫) said.
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