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.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
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