To prepare for the second wave of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) epidemic in this fall and winter and handling of severe pandemic influenza A (H1N1) cases, Commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) Yeh, Minister of Health, visited the command centers located in six regions in the nation to instruct the commander of each command center to integrate epidemic control resources, including the Communicable Disease Control Medical Network, the Emergency Medical Care Network, the hospitals and healthcare centers, and to ensure all patients receive proper medical care.

Since the outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) that occurred in April, 2009 has resulted in a global pandemic and influenza usually occurs in the fall and winter, it is estimated that a large number of influenza patients will arise in the this fall and winter.Therefore, to prepare for the handling of an increase in the number of influenza patients and possible severe influenza cases, Commander Yeh instructed transferring and referring patients when necessary and providing care to severe cases accordingly because hospital emergency departments alone will not be able to accommodate all the patients’ needs.

Besides, the Bureau of National Health Insurance has planned to include antivirals in the National Health Insurance coverage in order to popularize the use of antivirals and ensure patients with mild symptoms can receive proper medical care at local hospitals without having to visit larger hospitals or the emergency department. The Emergency Medical Care Network has been combined with the 119 emergency medical services to increase the resources for emergency medical treatment and patient transportation services.Further, injury categorization and computer data will be fully utilized to manage the distribution and use of intensive care wards in order to ensure all severe cases can receive prompt referral and treatment.

After the SARS outbreak in 2003, the Department of Health established the Communicable Disease Control Medical Network by designating a responsive hospital in each county/city for isolating and treating patients with infectious diseases.Although patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection need not be treated at isolation wards, if the virus strain develops antiviral drug resistance in this fall and winter, all the isolation wards at the responsive hospitals will be used for isolating and treating such patients in order to ensure effective containment of the disease.

Additionally, Commander Yeh attended meetings held by the command center in each region and the people participated in such meeting included the chief executive officer of the medical center and that of the responsive hospital in the region, the chief executive officer of the hospital under the Emergency Medical Care Network in the region, the manager of the Region Branch of the National Health Bureau, personnel from the Bureau of Medical Affairs, the Fire Commissioner of the Fire Department, the Director-General of the Public Health Bureau, and the committee members of the medical care network. The meetings were held to integrate epidemic control resources, including hospitals, healthcare centers, wards, and human resources to facilitate an efficient allocation of the resources during an epidemic.