President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called on participants at a health conference to support Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO as an observer so the nation could contribute more to global healthcare.
Lai was speaking at the International Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM) in Taipei, where participants focused on the personnel shortage facing emergency rooms globally.
He thanked ICEM chairman Huang Chi-jen (黃集仁) and Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine president Hsu Chien-ching (許建清) for their efforts in bringing the ICEM meeting to Taiwan this year, showcasing the nation’s development and contributions to emergency medicine.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Titled “Glocalization of Emergency Medicine: Global Wisdom and Local Solutions,” the forum seeks to minimize the global developmental gap in emergency medicine through policies targeting clinical practice, public health and the adoption of smart machinery.
Huang told the forum that the conference’s goal was to determine how emergency medicine could locally resolve global pandemics using “smart” technology.
Taiwan made great strides in emergency medicine development during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating communal screening stations and establishing online platforms for remote diagnosis, he said.
Commenting on a Facebook post by Far Eastern Hospital physician Chu Sheng-en (朱聖恩) regarding the shortage of medical staff, Huang said the workforce for emergency medicine has always been in flux, and the nation’s low birthrate has further exacerbated the issue.
If the public and the Ministry of Health and Welfare wish to foster a better working environment in the medical profession, higher wages and bonuses for emergency duty must be increased to incentivize younger people to take the job, Huang said.
The shortage in emergency medicine is a global issue, with many workers opting to “take a break” after a grueling three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
However, this situation is temporary and should ease up as time passes, he added.
In the interim, hospitals have adopted more shifts with fewer hours, hoping to increase the number of personnel available per shift, he said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said that emergency medicine is the medical system’s core and most critical part.
The ministry is aware of the issues and has been working to find possible solutions to improve the work environment for emergency medicine workers, Chiu said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS