EMS access improved in Taiwan

The Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan has announced that by July next year, there will be air ambulances in place to better serve residents of the nation’s outer islands with access to emergency medical services. Following three failed bid attempts, the matter was finally settled earlier this year, according to Tsai Shu-Feng, a senior official at the Ministry, who added that jet aircraft from Executive Aviation Taiwan Corporation would provide emergency medical transportation from Kinmen, while helicopters from Emerald Pacific Airlines would serve Penghu and Matsu. The plan to have air ambulances stationed in Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu is a 10-year project with a total budget of NT$4.3 billion (NT$100 = US$3).