This Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is providing emergency medical care for the 0206 earthquake disaster. Up until 6 a.m. today (2/9), the emergency medical services (EMS) have recorded a total of 547 people taken in for medical care (497 in Tainan City, 36 people in Kaohsiung City, 6 people in Chiayi City, 4 people in Chiayi County, 3 people in Changhua County, and 1 person in Yunlin County). These patients were distributed across 32 hospitals in 6 cities and counties. Of these victims, 9 have been reported by hospitals as deceased (all deceased were from Tainan City). Overall, 447 people have been released from hospitals (403 people in Tainan City, 31 people in Kaohsiung City, 5 people in Chiayi City, 4 people in Chiayi County, 3 people in Changhua County, and 1 person in Yunlin County). The MOHW calls on the public to save emergency care for people in need, as there are limited medical resources. Please do not visit emergency rooms at large hospitals for minor medical issues. During the Chinese New Year Period, all 194 hospitals with emergency care across Taiwan will continue to provide 24-hour emergency medical care service. The MOHW would also like to remind the public that emergency room care is based on the level of severity, not by sequential order. Thus, unless it is an emergency and necessary, we ask the public not to visit emergency rooms at large hospitals, and leave emergency room care to people with severe problems. This can raise the quality of medical care and avoid congestion in emergency rooms so people waiting for medical care do not need to wait as long. The MOHW’s Regional Emergency Medical Operation Centers (REMOC) will continue to compile and monitor emergency medical resource related information from hospitals. 

The MOHW will continue do its best to help with the disaster. To help with the rescue of victims in the Weiguan Building collapse and improve efficiency, the ministry has recently established a southern and northern medical station. These stations will respectively be manned by a doctor and two nurses and EMT each from National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Chi Mei Medical Center, who will provide on-site emergency care. Medical care volunteers from Changhua Christian Hospital, Cardinal Tien Hospital, and Armed Force General Hospital will also help support these services. Currently, Executive Officer Chuang Chia-Chang will be holding the front line at the southern REMOC. The Kaohsiung/Pingtung area REMOC Executive Officer Huang Feng-Ti, and the Northern Area REMOC Deputy Executive Officer Hsiao Ya-Wen will also be on site to assist with medical care. Each REMOC will prove immediate support as needed. 

The MOHW would like to once again thank all the people from various fields who have been providing assistance. We also wish to give special thanks to the medical personnel who participated in the care of earthquake victims. They have and are continuing to play a crucial role in the rescue and follow-up care of victims. We hope that all involved medical personnel take care of their own health and immediately rest or seek medical attention when they experience discomfort. A “0206 Earthquake: Post-Disaster Rehabilitation-Related Public Relief Items” area has been setup on the MOHW official website (www.mohw.gov.tw). The ministry has also established consultation hotlines to provide inquiry services for the public.