TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) announced on Tuesday that 13 urgent care centers (UCCs) will open beginning Sunday to ease weekend and holiday congestion at emergency departments across Taiwan, per UDN.
Shih said the UCCs have completed staffing and equipment installation, with departments including internal medicine, pediatrics, and orthopedic trauma care. According to the National Health Insurance Administration, patients will be encouraged to seek care at UCCs, where registration fees will be NT$150 (US$4.90), significantly lower than the NT$750 typically charged for emergency care at medical centers.
He said the move addresses emergency room overcrowding, especially during major holidays such as Lunar New Year. “Even hospitals that had never experienced congestion were overwhelmed earlier this year,” Shih said, adding that the ministry made early preparations to prevent a recurrence.
Another goal of the UCC program is to increase Taiwan’s overall medical capacity, as many emergency departments are already operating at full capacity, leaving the system vulnerable during epidemics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, many clinics were unprepared to handle large patient volumes or provide rapid screenings and chest X-rays, forcing patients to seek treatment in emergency rooms.
“In the early stages of the COVID epidemic, hospitals struggled,” he said. “It wasn’t until telemedicine was introduced that congestion began to ease.”
Shih said UCCs are a form of medical mobilization and preparation. He said each UCC will be staffed by physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, with primary care doctors working in rotating shifts. The government will coordinate staffing.
Hospitals with fewer than 99 beds, which typically lack emergency departments, are considered ideal for establishing UCCs due to their proximity to local communities, Shih added.
He said the ministry hopes to eventually establish a UCC in every administrative district. Each center will be integrated into the National Health Insurance system to allow real-time monitoring of service volume and scheduling adjustments as needed.
Shih said he hopes UCCs can provide one-stop service, including physician consultations, medical testing, and on-site pharmacy support. Local health bureaus have scheduled medical and pharmacy staff shifts for November and December to improve access to care.
Patients transported by ambulance will not be admitted to UCCs, as they are typically in critical condition, Shih said. Instead, individuals with minor illnesses or discomfort are encouraged to take advantage of the convenience and lower cost of UCCs, reserving emergency room resources for the most serious cases.
