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“Single Window; Safe Referral” – Continuous Monitoring of Bed and Labor Allocation

  • Data Source:Ministry of Health and Welfare
  • Created:2015-07-04
  • Last Updated:2017-01-11

At noon today (7/4), the National Health Insurance Administration released the latest statistics of the Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion. At present, 495 victims have sought medical assistance. Among the victims, 430 are undergoing treatment in 54 hospitals, 2 are reported dead, 276 are in intensive care, and 230 are in critical condition. To ensure that victims receive appropriate care, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is actively inquiring on the referral requirements of various hospitals. Using this knowledge to ensure referral safety and under the consent of the victims’ family members, we have successfully facilitated the referral of 3 cases, thereby fulfilling the “Single Window, Safe Referral” mechanism. The MOHW has synchronously actuated its 14 referral networks and 193 emergency care hospitals to actively ensure that all hospitalized victims receive appropriate medical attention. 
The MOHW is continuing to monitor and manage the allocation of medical resources. As of today (7/4), the total number of available intensive care beds in emergency care hospitals nationwide is 995, including 238 in the Greater Taipei area, 130 in Northern Taiwan, 163 in Central Taiwan, 220 in Southern Taiwan, 192 in the Kaohsiung and Pingtung areas, and 52 in Eastern Taiwan. The total number of burn care beds nationwide is 45, including 1 in the Greater Taipei area, 5 in Northern Taiwan, 15 in Central Taiwan, 12 in Southern Taiwan, 12 in the Kaohsiung and Pingtung areas, and 12 in Eastern Taiwan. The number of supporting medical personnel has reached 910, comprising 55 doctors, 795 nurses, and 60 other medical workers (including respiratory therapists, physiologists, occupational therapists, and pharmacist). The labor requirement of 50 medical workers (1 doctor and 49 nurses) requested by the various hospitals today was processed via the MOWH EOC platform to centralize labor allocation. Hospitals are able to immediately seek appropriate support via this platform. Then, hospitals need only submit an inventory through the MOHW’s simple reporting procedure to complete the submission process or work practice registration. We encourage hospitals that require additional labor to evaluate and submit their labor requirements via the EOC Integration Platform. 
Moreover, the MOHW has actuated its Medical Expert Advisory Group in successfully completing 7 medical consultation cases. The group actively aids the MOHW in hosting expert advisory meetings, appearing in press conferences and various ad hoc meetings, and providing overall expert advice on the optimal medical procedures for the current situation. We will continue to hold medical advisory group meetings to immediately respond to changes in the situation. 
The MOHW would like to once again thank members of the public for their assistance. We would also like to extend gratitude to the medical workers who have committed themselves to treating the victims' injuries. These staff members have assumed essential roles throughout the rescue process and subsequent care provision. The MOHW reminds medical workers to also pay attention to their own health, and to rest or seek medical attention if adverse symptoms are experienced. Moreover, we appeal to the public to value limited medical resources and refrain from unnecessary wastage. The latest information relating to the dust explosion incident can be found on the MOHW website at www.mohw.gov.tw. For general queries, please call our incident helpline at 02-85906199. To avoid injuries, please do not believe or disseminate false information, home remedies, or other rumors.