The government is overhauling staffing and facility standards for regional and local emergency medical centers to boost capacity for treating severe and emergency patients. The move aims to reduce gaps in emergency patient admissions by strengthening requirements for emergency room specialists and clearly defining intensive care unit and surgical functions.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Thursday it will publish a proposed amendment to the enforcement rules of the Emergency Medical Service Act for public comment. The revision focuses on reorganizing the emergency medical delivery system around severe and emergency patient response while implementing follow-up measures to the Emergency Medical Service Act revised last year.
The designation criteria for regional and local emergency medical centers will be strengthened. The revision specifies medical institutions' treatment and surgical capabilities—including intensive care management and emergency brain and abdominal surgeries—needed not only at the emergency room stage but also in subsequent treatment phases, ensuring facilities have substantive clinical capacity. Securing dedicated specialists in relevant departments capable of performing these functions will also become mandatory.
Standards for dedicated emergency room specialists will be raised. For regional emergency medical centers with more than 30,000 annual patient visits, the requirement will be strengthened from one specialist per 10,000 patients to one per 5,000 patients. A new standard of one specialist per 7,000 patients will be introduced for local emergency medical centers. However, considering workforce supply constraints, the medical specialties eligible for hiring as dedicated emergency room specialists will be expanded from 10 to 12, adding obstetrics and gynecology and family medicine.
Facility standards will also be enhanced. Local emergency medical centers will be required to maintain at least three emergency-dedicated inpatient beds and at least two emergency-dedicated ICU beds. Regional emergency medical centers must operate general operating rooms around the clock and prioritize emergency patients.
Additionally, dedicated emergency medical information management staff at regional emergency medical centers will increase from two to four, with at least one required on-site at all times. This measure aims to keep emergency patient transport and transfer systems operational continuously.
New regulations following the legal amendments will also be established. Emergency medical surveys will assess demand and utilization patterns, 119 emergency response activities, and medical institution facilities, equipment and staffing. Emergency medical institution directors must report patient admission capacity and reasons for refusing patients to the Central Emergency Medical Center. Regional and local centers will be required to establish dedicated departments and personnel to operate emergency medical hotlines.
The Ministry plans to finalize the revision after gathering public comments through April 8.