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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Water Park Inferno: Cosmetic surgery clinics offer help
Young men yesterday donate blood in Taipei to help victims of Saturday night’s fire at the Formosa Fun Coast water park in New Taipei City. Photo: CNA
By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
The Taiwan Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery yesterday said that 27 cosmetic-surgery clinics nationwide have volunteered to provide free dressing changes to the hundreds of people injured in Saturday night’s Formosa Fun Coast （八仙海岸） fire until they recover.
“Most of the victims sustained second-degree burns or worse, which are not like ordinary burns that can be easily treated by applying medical ointments at home. They are urged to consult a plastic surgeon for their burns,” the association said.
Eight of the clinics are located in Taipei, five are in New Taipei City, five in Taichung, four in Kaohsiung, two in Hualien County and one each in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Tainan.
About 1,000 people were at the Color Play Asia event at the water park in New Taipei City’s Bali District （八里） when a fire erupted at about 8:30pm. The blaze is believed to have been started when the colored cornstarch powder used at the party ignited.
Official tallies yesterday put the number of people injured at 494.
As the majority of the partygoers were wearing only swimsuits or beachwear, many suffered extensive burns.
In related news, the Taiwan Blood Service Foundation urged the public to refrain from rushing to donate blood to the fire’s victims as the nation’s current blood supplies are sufficient.
Social networking sites have been inundated with messages urging people to donate blood as a gesture of support for all those injured in the disaster.
“All the blood banks in the nation have enough blood to cope with the need of the large number of victims. The public is urged not to panic or worry,” the foundation said in a news release.
Foundation official Chen Shih-li （陳世利） said that as the shelf life of donated blood is about 35 days, a sudden surge in donations would only result in some people’s kindness going to waste.
Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Administration （NHIA） said it would fully cover victims’ initial medical treatment.
“The National Health Insurance Administration will pay in advance for medical treatments that were carried out between Saturday and tomorrow [today], including the cost of their hospital stays and burn therapies, before applying for a subsidy from the New Taipei City Government,” Department of Planning Director Chang Yu-hsuan （張鈺旋） said.
Chang said the policy is meant to allow the victims to receive the best possible care without worrying about the costs.
However, cosmetic surgeries are excluded from the measure, Chang said.
Treatments received by the victims that are by National Health Insurance （NHI） would not be included in the total NHI reimbursement quotas of the hospitals where they are being treated, Chang said.
The NHIA said it plans to offer another program to cover medical expenses incurred after the intial 72-hour-period of treatment.
Forty-eight hospitals nationwide are providing treatment to victims of the disaster, 439 of whom remained hospitalized, including 211 in intensive care units, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
