The Ministry of Health and Welfare is finalizing details of a trial to establish urgent care centers to relieve overcrowded emergency rooms, with the program’s launch expected next month, National Health Insurance Administration Director Chen Liang-yu (陳亮妤) told reporters on the sidelines of an unrelated event in Taipei.
The pilot program — designed to provide medical attention to patients whose conditions are urgent, but not critical — would be launched next month at the soonest, she said.
The former head of the agency, Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), first promoted the concept as a potential solution to help increasingly congested emergency rooms reduce patient loads, Chen said.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
Using urgent care centers to reduce wait times at emergency rooms is a system practiced in the US, Japan and Germany with varying degrees of success, she said.
The ministry plans to establish urgent care centers within a 10km radius from hospitals with critical care capabilities to deal with patients with fever, acute digestive complaints or light injuries, Chen said.
The measure is expected to reduce Class 4 and Class 5 patients by 20 percent, which represents a significant reduction of the burden on emergency rooms, she said.
The agency is “exerting itself to the utmost” to prepare for the program in cooperation with the ministry’s Department of Information Management, the Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine, the Taiwan Union of Nurses Association and rank-and-file healthcare workers, she added.
The pay for working at urgent care centers would be increased from the currently stipulated amount per shift in response to demands from doctors and nurses, Chen said.
Previously, Taiwan Union of Nurses Association president Chen Li-chin (陳麗琴) expressed reservations about promised subsidies for nurses.
A bonus of NT$2,000 per additional shift falls below the legally mandated overtime pay as stipulated by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), she said.
Nurses are more likely to opt for resting up at home than working for another shift for an “unattractive” bonus, Chen Li-chin said.
The union is willing to work with the government to improve the quality of care, but officials need to make a better offer that would show sincerity about its stated concerns about healthcare workers, she said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS