Minister of Health and Welfare Chiang Been-huang (蔣丙煌) yesterday announced a government plan to sign emergency medical service agreements with as many countries as possible, but downplayed controversy over reports that it refused to accept overseas medical assistance following the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) fire on June 27.
Chiang made the remarks at a news conference held to announce the latest development of the incident, during which he said the plan was meant to ensure sufficient medical resources in the event of a larger casualty count in a future catastrophe.
“The signing of agreements will allow foreign medical teams to jump in immediately after a tragedy without any legal hiccups,” Chiang said. “It would also allow Taiwan to lend a helping hand to countries stricken by catastrophes.”
Photo: CNA
However, Chiang gave an ambiguous response when pressed on rumors that the ministry had turned down foreign medical aid to treat people affected by the blasts and ensuing fire in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里) last weekend due to legal concerns.
“I have to emphasize how much we appreciate and welcome some foreign countries’ proposals to send their medical specialists to Taiwan to help treat the large number of people,” Chiang said.
However, he said the assistance foreign medical personnel offer must conform to the nation’s laws, adding that the number of Taiwanese physicians trained to handle burns was enough to treat the nearly 500 patients.
On Friday, Chiang said the Physicians Act (醫師法) bans foreigners from practicing in Taiwan, incurring criticism over the ministry’s “rigid” adherence to the rules when people badly need care and hospitals face personnel shortages.
Chiang made the remarks after offers of help from Japan and the US.
Japan’s Association of Medical Doctors of Asia president Shigeru Suganami and Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine president Yoshihito Ujike on Thursday offered to send 10 doctors and 40 paramedics to Taiwan to assist in treatment of the burns patients.
Taipei’s representative office in Washington on Friday said that the American Burn Association and the burn unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital both offered to provide medical supplies, equipment and personnel.
Under the rules, foreign physicians can only play supportive roles in treatments by providing guidance, getting medical materials ready or providing consultations about treatment plans, rather than be directly involved in treating patients, Department of Medical Affairs director Wang Tsung-hsi (王宗曦) said on Friday.
Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said it was up to the ministry to decide whether to suggest that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) put forward an emergency decree to temporarily suspend the rules.
Taiwan Medical Association chairman Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) said earlier yesterday that the association was to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for medical service cooperation with its Japanese counterpart soon and that Japan’s medical teams could arrive in Taiwan on Thursday next week at the earliest, if all went well.
“We and our Japanese counterparts had already scheduled to sign the MOU on July 30 after years of negotiations. In light of the blast, we have decided to bring forward the signing of the document,” Su said.
Separately yesterday, Taiwan Medical Association secretary-general Tsai Ming-chung (蔡明忠) said that in the upcoming weeks, the nation would likely see a wave of deaths among critically injured people affected by the blast.
“The public must understand that patients with severe burns or inhalation injuries are highly prone to death. Despite extensive care, it is inevitable that those who are severely injured are to enter a ‘peak period for deaths’ soon,” Tsai said after visiting patients at Taichung Veterans General Hospital.
Tsai said he was not being a “jinx,” stressing that whole-body infections usually occurred after the second week of serious burn cases and that only patients who made it through the first month could be considered stable.
According to the ministry, the number of people in critical conditions increased from 211 on Friday to 230 yesterday.
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