TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Taipei City Government has teamed up with the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital to dispatch doctors to accident scenes, as part of an initiative to strengthen emergency rescue efforts.
The two agencies signed a cooperation agreement on Thursday to launch the “Doctor Car” program. Fan Chieh-min (范傑閔), head of the hospital’s emergency department, said the program allows doctors to perform advanced procedures on-site that are beyond the scope of standard paramedic care, per CNA.
New Taipei Fire Department Director Chen Chung-yueh (陳崇岳) said the city’s emergency response has improved significantly. He noted the proportion of people who arrived at the hospital without a heartbeat and were discharged following treatment rose from 3.1% in 2010 to 12.13% last year.
Chen said that for accidents involving individuals without a heartbeat, major trauma, or critical conditions, the department will dispatch ambulances, emergency responders, and hospital doctors to the scene.
He added that if people’s vital signs are unstable and rescue could take over an hour, the program allows doctors to provide on-site care, including managing pain, giving blood transfusions, and securing airways.
In addition to on-site medical care from doctors, the program equips some ambulances with ultrasound devices that can scan the heart through the esophagus and ECMO machines. ECMO is a life-support system that temporarily takes over the work of the heart and lungs by pumping, oxygenating, and returning blood to the body.
Chu Sheng-en (朱聖恩), who is also a doctor at the hospital, said that during the program’s trial period, he went with the city’s paramedics to rescue a man who had slid down a hillside in a car accident. The rescue team used tools to free the man, while Chu provided on-site treatment that greatly improved his chances of recovery.
Each fire station in New Taipei is equipped with around two ambulances, with about two paramedics responding to each call. The city typically ranks among the top for the number of ambulance dispatches.
