Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan proposed the idea of relocating Songshan Airport, which attracted the attention of the medical community. Minister of Health and Welfare Shi Chongliang said yesterday that Songshan Airport is an important base for emergency medical evacuation to remote and outlying islands, and the relocation discussion should include consideration of the medical evacuation mechanism and the round-trip transportation costs for supporting medical personnel in remote areas.
Shi Chongliang said that Songshan Airport is the main evacuation airport for outlying island medical evacuation fixed-wing aircraft and air crew evacuation cooperated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Kinmen and Matsu are evacuated to Songshan, and Penghu is sent to Kaohsiung, Taipei or Taichung. Emergency evacuations to Taitung, Orchid Island, and Green Island also involve Taipei, which has relatively abundant medical resources. This issue needs to be discussed extensively and in detail.
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Patients from Taitung can fly to Taipei for medical treatment and can return in one day
Yu Shangru, honorary chairman of the Taiwan Home Medical Association and director of Taitung Dulan Clinic, said that while waiting at Taitung Airport, it is common for patients to fly to Taipei for medical treatment, including those who use wheelchairs. Some people leave in the morning, see a doctor at noon, and return home in the afternoon. If Taitung cannot fly directly to Songshan, medical treatment will be affected; medical treatment requires physical interaction, and transportation convenience and accessibility cannot be ignored.
Chen Yingzhao, chairman of the Taiwan Home Medical Association, pointed out that the relocation of Songji also involves Kinmen and other remote villages. Some doctors have family members living in urban areas, but they are willing to travel to rural areas for services because of their great love. Moreover, rural medical specialties rely on the support of doctors in urban areas. Taking a one-hour flight and a four- or five-hour train is a huge difference in time and fatigue. It is difficult to reach the local service within half a day by train.
Liu Handing, a doctor at Taitung Christian Hospital, said on Facebook that many Taitung doctors are "flying people" who live in Taipei. They fly to Taitung for work on weekdays and return to Taipei for reunions on holidays. Some doctors have spent more than ten years with enough transportation expenses to buy a house in Taipei. If the relocation of Songshan Airport increases the time and mental cost for doctors to travel to remote areas, many people may be forced to leave. "If Songshan Airport is to be relocated, Taitung Medical will collapse first." He calls on the issue of relocation of Songshan Airport to consider the impact of medical manpower in the east.
Top international business and artistic people rely on pine machines for entry and exit
Wang Bisheng, former deputy director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, also strongly opposed the relocation of Songji. He pointed out that as a citizen, he often flies from Taipei Songshan to Tokyo Haneda, which is convenient for travel and business. I believe many Taipei citizens feel the same way. In terms of public service in the past, remote areas such as Kinmen, Matsu, and Taitung relied heavily on medical care. Thanks to the support of Taipei University Hospital, local medical care will be unsustainable if Songji is relocated; and many friends from outlying islands have moved to Shuangpei City and still rely on Songji for commuting; many top international business or artistic people have strengthened their willingness to cooperate and promote Taipei's development and progress because of the convenience of Songji in Taipei.
