In response to the needs for medical care and social welfare in the aftermath of the Formosa Fun Coast incident, Minister Chiang Been-Huang held and presided at the fourth meeting of the task force of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on the afternoon of July 2, to continuously follow up the inventory of medical capacity, medical treatment, supply of medications and medical supplies, risk assessments for the injured, case-based care, and social welfare and relief services, and to understand and discuss matters such as the counseling hotlines and the dedicated incident section. 

1. The MOHW coordinated the supply and allocation of medications and medical supplies and contacted the hospitals by phone, e-mail or Line on a daily basis to find out whether there were sufficient medical stocks at each hospital. If the stocks at a hospital fell below three days of reserve, the Food and Drug Administration of the MOHW would immediately step in to allocate supplies. 

2. More information will be released. The Dedicated Information Section for the 0627 Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion will be created for daily announcement of the latest news, such as the latest information about hospitalization and treatment of the patients, supply of medications and medical supplies, and social relief to keep the medical institution staff and citizens updated and eliminate false speculations, reports, and rumors. 

3. A new hotline: (02)8590-6199 has been added. The Centers for Disease Control of the MOHW will designate dedicated personnel to offer citizens 24-hour counseling services regarding this incident from now on. 

4. The associations for physicians, nurses, psychologists, and social workers have offered their assistance in integrating relevant volunteers and support personnel to respond to the heavy workload of the medical personnel at the hospitals where the victims are treated. So far 18 physicians and 165 nurses have been registered and available for employment by the hospitals in need of extra personnel. The MOHW will also request all of the hospitals where the victims are treated to strengthen the care system for their entry-level personnel. Moreover, in the case that medical personnel who retired as public servants are re-employed to carry out emergency rescue services, the MOHW will inform each public hospital via official correspondence that the pensions and other rights and interests of such personnel will not be affected in accordance with existing laws. 

5. The Department of Medical Affairs of the MOHW, Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) in all regions, and health departments have continued to put more effort into the inventory of capacity of the medical institutions in terms of emergency treatment and critical care, and them have also improved the deployment of medical resources. Experts were invited today to discuss the diagnosis and treatment of the hospitalized victims who have sustained serious burn injuries. The suggestions proposed include holding family meetings between the medical team and family members of the injured and helping the injured and their family members understand the progress of their injuries, treatment plans, and prognosis so joint decisions can be made. 

6. Statistics of hospitalization and treatment for the victims of the Formosa Fun Coast explosion (as of 12:00 on 7/2): Of the 429 people who continued to be hospitalized, two have passed away, and 271 were in the intensive care units. The hospitalized victims were admitted to 54 hospitals in 12 cities and counties, including Keelung City, Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City, Taichung City, Kaohsiung City, Tainan City, Changhua County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and Hualien County. Eight of the injured were from mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, and seven were from foreign countries.