According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the vicitms of the Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explostion, as of 12:00 on July 7th, of the 495 people who continued to be hospitalized, 3 have passed away, 426 were still being treated across 49 hospitals in 13 cities and counties, 288 were in intensive care units, and 229 were in critical condition (176 in the Greater Taipei area, 27 in northern Taiwan, 12 in central Taiwan, 5 in southern Taiwan, and 9 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung area). So far, the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Support Staff Integration Platform of the MOHW has 1,081 registered support personnel (comprised of 73 physicians, 944 nurses and 64 other medical personnel). Cooperating with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there is an additional demand for 12 physicians and 101 nurses across 11 hospitals relying on the assistance of the EOC. In order to improve the matchmaking of medical personnel on both the supply side and the demand side, the MOHW held a “Conference on the Coordination of Matchmaking Medical Personnel Offering Support and Hospitals Receiving Support in the Aftermath of the Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion” on July 6th, aiming to provide ongoing personnel resource matchmaking through the EOCs of MOHW, and to make simple reporting messages of available support known to all members within the Taiwan Medical Association and Taiwan Union of Nurses Association, so as to improve the efficiency of personnel matchmaking. 

The EOCs of MOHW continued to monitor the availability of medical resources, and today’s statistics showed that there were 935 available beds in intensive care units across all hospitals responsible for emergency treatment (including 227 in the Taipei area, 109 in northern Taiwan, 177 in central Taiwan, 193 in southern Taiwan, 184 in the Kaohsiung and Pingtung area, and 45 in eastern Taiwan), and 40 available beds in burn intensive care units (including 4 in northern Taiwan, 15 in central Taiwan, 7 in southern Taiwan, 13 in the Kaohsiung and Pingtung area, and 1 in eastern Taiwan). The EOCs of MOHW have been continuously taking the initiative to provide news of available beds in intensive care units in various hospitals and to gather information on the demand for inter-hospital referrals. Having ensured the appropriateness of referrals and having taken the willingness of the victims’ families into consideration, the EOCs of MOHW are involved in the coordination process of 27 referral cases, of which 19 were referred successfully, and 8 are still awaiting the families and the medical institutions to reach consensus. The treatment following the life-saving treatment in the critical phase will mainly be based on the needs of repair treatment and trauma rehabilitation. The health care system aims to provide patient-oriented care by taking into account both personal safety and public interest. Adopting the concept of even distribution and considering the geopolitics of patients, we will assist patients in their referral to appropriate medical facilities for further treatment, so as to ensure that all patients get proper medical treatment and care while enhancing the convenience of receiving treatment and the quality of health care. 

The Medical Expert Advisory Group of MOHW has so far provided professional advice and assistance to 56 people and assisted in site visits to four hospitals, where they offered medical assistance and advice on care. The Medical Expert Advisory Group reminded everyone that while the medical community is currently saving lives with their utmost efforts, some critically ill patients have already taken part in Time-Limited Trials, and have been receiving smooth and successful palliative medical care. We recommend that the medical teams of medical institutions providing hospitalization and treatment to take the initiative in holding “family meetings” to enable families and patients to learn about the prognosis, course and treatment plans. The medical teams should continue to communicate to help family members in keeping abreast of changes in the patient’s condition to facilitate the making of joint medical decisions. If high-tech medical treatment is being used to support the lives of critically ill patients, we should actively communicate with their families. If an irreversible course of the illness is foreseen, it is recommended that the patient take part in Time-Limited Trial to avoid further suffering. 

We are very grateful for the international community’s initiative to provide gestures of goodwill and for the generous provision of personnel and supply support. Regarding the visits of Japanese medical personnel to Taiwan in providing exchanges, assistance and advice about health care techniques, we have taken into consideration the needs of hospitals and conducted discussions with the medical community before deciding that cases shall be handled under an ad hoc plan for this incident. The involvement of overseas medical personnel in the medical care of hospitals is limited to a period of two months starting from the date of the incident, and their involvement is limited to the teaching hospitals providing hospitalization and treatment to the burn patients of this incident. They must be working under the supervision of dedicated attending physicians at the hospitals in the original medical team providing treatment and care. 

The MOHW would like to once again thank all sectors for their assistance, and our special thanks goes to the medical personnel who participated in treating the injured, as they play a key role in emergency treatment and follow-up care. We would also like to remind medical personnel to take good care of your own health, and in case of any symptoms of fatigue, please take a rest or seek medical advice immediately. The MOHW would also like to urge the public to cherish the precious medical resources and refrain from unnecessary wastage. We would also like to remind the public that a dedicated web page for the Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion has been set up on our official website (www.mohw.gov.tw) and the counseling hotlines (10 lines) are available at 02-85906199 for the use of the public. Please take care not to easily believe in or forward false information, and do not be misled into believing folk remedies or other rumors to avoid causing harm to yourselves.