Noting the importance of ensuring residents of offshore islands receive comprehensive medical care, Premier Chang San-cheng today tasked Minister without Portfolio Hsiao Chia-chi to convene a coordination meeting to discuss the feasibility of stationing ambulance aircraft on offshore islands.
This meeting will bring together relevant ministries such as the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and Ministry of Transportation and Communications as well as local governments of offshore islands.
Chang gave these instructions after an ad hoc report on emergency medical care for offshore islands residents.
As flight times to Green Island, Orchid Island, Xiaoliuqiu Island and the Penghu Islands are short, Taiwan proper can serve their emergency aeromedical transport needs, the premier pointed out. Because flight times to the Kinmen Islands and Matsu Islands are much longer, a feasibility study must be conducted on whether to station ambulance aircraft there, taking into consideration the flight capacity and crew quotas of the MOI's National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) as well as the operation capacity of private flight operators.
The MOHW pointed out that currently air ambulance services for Lienchiang County (comprising the Matsu Islands) are carried out by the private sector, and the NASC covers shortages with the support of military planes from the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In Penghu and Kinmen counties, such services are conducted by private operators during daytime, with the NASC and MND military planes covering shortages and carrying out nighttime services. Aeromedical transport services for Taitung County's Green Island and Orchid Island are carried out by the NASC.
The MOHW has built medical facilities on offshore islands to provide modern hospital environments. To buttress specialized medical care resources, the MOHW set up cardiac catheterization laboratories at Penghu Hospital and Kinmen Hospital in December 2013 and November 2015, respectively.
With the enhancement of local medical resources, the number of patients transferred by air ambulance has decreased every year, declining 14.8 percent from 277 patients in 2012 to 236 patients in 2015.