Hospitals around Taiwan are quickly filling up as cases of influenza, norovirus and extreme colds rise, leaving ventilators in short supply and some patients to receive medical attention without beds.
Emergency rooms were at capacity in many hospitals around Taiwan as of 12:30pm today, Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics showed.
There were 105 people waiting for admission to National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), 114 at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 112 at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and upward of 100 at other major hospitals around Taiwan, the ministry said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
After the Lunar New Year, even emergency rooms that normally have space have reported 20 to 30 people waiting for care, NTUH Department of Emergency Medicine acting director Chang Wei-tien (張維典) said.
Influenza, norovirus and gastroenteritis cases have increased in number and severity due to cold weather, Chang said.
Furthermore, an increasing shortage of nurses over the past two to three years has forced hospitals to reduce their capacity by 20 to 25 percent, he said.
Emergency departments typically have up to twice the usual number of patients over the Lunar New Year, as primary care clinics close for the holiday, Chang said.
The situation usually eases a few days after the holiday, but numbers have continued to increase this year, as patients with flu-related pneumonia and gastroenteritis are taking up more beds than previous years, he said.
NTUH is working to expedite hospital discharges and admissions to ensure that patients who require hospitalization are admitted as soon as possible, NTUH spokesperson Chen Yen-yuan (陳彥元) said.
Patient numbers have increased by 60 to 70 percent compared with pre-holiday levels, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine deputy director Kuan Jen-tse (管仁澤) said.
A cancer patient requiring intubation was recently transferred to Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, as the patient’s normal hospital had no more ventilators available, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine director Wang Tsung-lun (王宗倫) said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
RSS