Three northern hospitals gain medical center status

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) Three hospitals in northern Taiwan have been upgraded to the status of "medical center," bringing the total number of institutions in the class to 22, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday.

The ministry on Tuesday unveiled evaluation results of medical institutions across Taiwan, which saw Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital and Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital in New Taipei, and the National Taiwan University Hospital Hsinchu Branch join the rank of medical center, the highest tier in Taiwan's system.

To qualify, a hospital must have received an A in its evaluation and have qualified as a teaching hospital, among other criteria, Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said at a news conference in Taipei.

One of the criteria states that a hospital must routinely have an overall daily total of 15,000 patients in its emergency room and general clinics.

The addition of the three medical centers was approved after it was determined that the move would only have a slight impact on the finances of the National Health Insurance System, Hsueh said, referencing the higher costs associated with running a medical center.

The medical center designation comes with an accompanying appointment fee hike from NT$240 (US$7.66) to NT$420 for general clinic appointments, and from NT$400 to NT$750 for emergency room fees, effective March 1, Pang Yi-ming (龐一鳴), National Health Administration deputy director-general, told a news conference in Taipei.

Asked to comment on the new medical centers, Hung Tzu-jen (洪子仁), head of the Taiwan College of Healthcare Executive (TCHE), said in a written response to CNA that TCHE was quite surprised at the result and called for more transparency in the MOHW's decision-making process, particularly when the number of medical centers designated exceeds its stated quota.

Under the ministry zoning rules, each region is assigned one medical center for every 2 million residents, Hung explained.

However, Taiwan has a population of 23 million, but already has 19 medical centers, he said.

If the ministry appoints medical centers in a lax way, it risks causing an uneven distribution of resources among medical institutions, he warned.