The Executive Yuan will definitely help those injured by the June 27 powder explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast theme park to cover their medical expenses, Minister without Portfolio Yeh Shin-cheng stated today. If the budgets of relevant ministries cannot cover the expenditures, the Executive Yuan will use the second reserve fund.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo has called on frontline medical personnel to pull out all the stops. The premier is especially concerned about the urgent demands of patients' family members for medical facilities, Yeh stated.
Yeh made these statements while convening the second meeting of the Executive Yuan task force on the explosion. The task force discussed follow-up rehabilitation and cross-ministerial information integration concerning security measures for future large-scale activities.
The incident requires the central and local governments to work hand in hand, Yeh said. In light of the large number of burn victims, the most pressing matter at present is to provide mechanisms for their medical treatment. Meanwhile, the government will hold Formosa Fun Coast and the event organizers strictly accountable for their legal and financial responsibilities.
Executive Yuan Spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun stressed that the Executive Yuan immediately initiated the emergency response mechanisms after the incident occurred and tasked the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to activate the emergency relief mechanism for multiple casualty incidents. The task force also arrived at the decision to coordinate all the forces of central government ministries and agencies to provide the best services possible to the unfortunate patients and their family members.
The upcoming week is crucial for patients in critical condition, the MOHW stated. It has set up a medical advisory team of relevant specialists to provide medical consultations and assistance. It has also set up a coordination mechanism for referral and transfer demands.
The MOHW said that presently there is no problem with the allocation of medical resources, and the ministry has also set up a single service window for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment allocation. If necessary, drugs that are not registered domestically may be imported on a special case basis to ensure that medical supplies will be sufficient.
Regarding public donations, Minister Yeh instructed the MOHW to immediately get in touch with the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan). For overseas donations as well as those from the Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China areas, the society shall carry out the task on behalf of the government. For donations of medical consumables to meet long-term demand, the MOHW's Food and Drug Administration shall serve as the single service window, and the MOHW shall be responsible for tabulation of the consumables.
The Ministry of the Interior stated that its ministry, the Ministry of Education as well as other relevant agencies are implementing summer vacation programs to institute regulations for teenagers and youths participating in large-scale activities, playing in pools or taking up part-time jobs. In the future, the relevant ministries will augment inspections of such activities. Moreover, the use of flammable powder in large-scale activities has already been banned in accordance with the Fire Services Act.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) stated that it will examine the current Regulation for the Management of Tourist Amusement Enterprise.
The MOTC stated that all 24 tourist recreation parks will come under inspection, with priority given to those parks that are highly popular, have abundant machinery and water facilities, and intend to hold large-scale activities. Any violation of tourism-related laws and regulations or failure to meet the requisite standards will be penalized according to law. Parks with minor violations will be ordered to improve by a deadline with follow-up checks until they are up to par. Those with major violations will be immediately fined or penalized.