TAIPEI – Taiwan is exploring the possibility of receiving patients from remote Okinawan islands for treatment in Taiwan during emergencies and major disasters, a senior Interior Ministry official said on April 28.
Taiwan’s Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shih-yuan said Taiwan could in future play a role in “aerial support and medical transfer coordination”, citing strong demand for inter-island patient transfers in places such as Ishigaki Island.
He made the remarks during a seminar held in Taipei on offshore island medical evacuation attended by officials from southern Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture.
By sharing information, Taiwan and Japan could jointly build a stronger cross-border emergency response network, Mr Ma said, adding that Taiwan is strengthening its disaster response capacity and would be ready to provide resources and support as quickly as possible if the Nansei Islands were hit by a major disaster.
The Nansei Islands, which extend southwest from Kyushu toward Taiwan, include a number of remote Okinawan islands.
Mr Ma said Japan’s experience of operating well-developed inter-island medical transfer systems to airlift critically ill patients could serve as a useful model for Taiwan’s outlying islands. KYODO NEWS
AloJapan.com