Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) this morning instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare to report on measures to address overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms (ER) across the country, Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said.
Due to unprecedented overcrowding in ERs, the Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine issued a rare call for help in a statement on Saturday, warning that if the situation worsens, hospitals could face a mass resignation of emergency medical workers.
In today’s Cabinet meeting, Cho first thanked emergency medical workers, especially those on the front lines, for their hard work over the Lunar New Year period.
Photo: Taipei Times
The number of patients seeking emergency treatment for flu-related complications such as diarrhea and severe illness this season has been several times higher than in the past nine years, Lee said.
The ministry would continue to assist hospitals in allocating medical staff and hospital beds and improving triage systems and patient transfers, while some medical institutions have initiated internal staff adjustments in recent days, it said.
In the meeting attended by Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源), Cho instructed the ministry to explain to the public the government’s response and preparedness and share successful strategies that have previously reduced ER overcrowding, Lee said.
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