Taipei hospitals are facing an ER crisis as the long Dragon Boat Festival weekend leads to a surge in patients. Emergency rooms across the city report severe overcrowding and long wait times. A combination of COVID-19 cases, holiday closures, and extreme weather has pushed medical resources to the brink.The Taipei Doctors Union issued a warning on Sunday. Emergency rooms cannot handle the growing number of patients. Staff shortages and full wards are adding to the problem. At the heart of it, overwork and low pay have driven many medical workers to resign.
According to the Ministry of Health, the problem is widespread. Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital had 165 patients waiting for beds. National Taiwan University Hospital followed with 129. Other hospitals, such as Taipei Mackay and Veterans General Hospital, also reported high wait numbers. Each of them had more than 20 patients stuck in ER queues.Chen Liang-fu, secretary-general of the Taipei Doctors Union, said the problem begins with closed clinics. During holidays, people have fewer options for care. Many with flu and COVID symptoms go straight to the ER. Also, the hot and humid weather causes food to spoil faster. Families celebrating together often see a rise in food poisoning cases.
The ER crisis continues to worsen as medical staff leave. Dozens of nurses and doctors quit recently. Chen said this trend shows no signs of stopping. Although the government promised more funding for staffing and equipment, conditions remain tough. Pay increases are slow, and morale remains low.Officials hoped to fix this by raising ER and ICU service fees. But Chen believes this measure hasn’t helped much. Frontline workers still feel unsupported by both the government and the public.
Hospitals are trying to ease the strain. They now transfer stable patients directly to regional hospitals without ER stops. But many hospital beds are still occupied by critically ill, intubated patients. That limits room for others in need.Chen emphasized the importance of using rapid COVID tests at home. If symptoms appear, people should seek treatment through the proper medical channels. Tiered medical care helps keep emergency rooms open for the truly critical.The ER crisis has put Taipei’s healthcare system under intense pressure. Unless swift action follows, hospitals may reach a breaking point.
