Health ministry proposes three directions to solve ER crisis

Health ministry proposes three directions to solve ER crisis

2025-06-09

Earlier this year, emergency rooms at hospitals saw what the Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine called an “unprecedented” overcrowding. Adding insult to the injury, already, 66 emergency physicians have quit this year, a dangerous trend that will see the total number of practicing emergency doctors diminish, should it continue. Meanwhile, it’s also reported that the average age of practicing emergency doctors has been steadily increasingly. The possible reason, could be attributed to the occupational stress of overcrowded ERs on medical staff.

In response, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan says the government is doing all it can to improve working conditions in ERs. Chiu says there are currently three major policy directions taken. The first is to have medical centers deploy personnel more effectively. The second is to pool regional capacities. And the third is to transfer starting this month, the NT$4 billion and more already claimed to the National Health Insurance. The health ministry says it hopes that improved working conditions at ERs will encourage doctors to stay.

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#taiwan #healthcare #NHI #healthinsurance #ER

急診醫師"斷崖式"流失! 衛福部提三解方留人

2025-06-09

今年初發生一波急診壅塞，被急診醫學會形容是「前所未有」，如今急診醫師再面臨「斷崖式流失」，全台統計至今已有66名急診醫師離職，醫界也發現急診醫師平均年齡層往上升，研判原因是急診壅塞造成年輕人不願意當急診醫師。

衛福部長邱泰源表示，衛福部一直在改善急診環境，目前有3大做法，一是請院方全力調配人力，其次則是做好區域整合，最後則是健保已給付40幾億元，將在6月開始發放，希望好環境、好待遇，能夠發揮留住好人才的效果。

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Taiwan comes No. 2 at ‘Oscars’ for innovative industries

The Edison Awards, known in Taiwan as the “Oscars” for innovative industries, is an international contest honoring excellence in innovation. This year Taiwan bagged a total of 18 awards and globally ranked No. 2. One standout performer was Taiwan’s Metal Industries Research and Development Center or MIRDC, which nabbed one gold, two silvers and one bronze. The wins did not only reflect Taiwan’s leading advantages in metal manufacturing, medical and cybersecurity technologies, but also drew attention to new inventions for the world to enjoy.

Doctors frequently need to rely on preoperative images and their experience when they make judgments during traditional intracranial surgery. However the Precise 3D Magnetic Tracking-Guided ICH Surgical Navigation System created by the MIRDC, provides real-time 3D images. This helps surgeons to be more precise. Patients can be saved in a matter of seconds. It won an Edison gold award.

Su Tzyy-ker
MIRDC
Our system also lets doctors know the location and direction of an instrument in the brain during an operation. Doctors no longer have to rely on past experience to find a path. Instead they can see a series of 3D images. This allows them to avoid important areas in the brain to directly reach bleeding sites to remove blood clots.

And the Featureless-Secure Encryption System for IOT solves problems relating to traditional encryption technology’s reliance on fixed cryptographic keys, which can easily become a target for hacking attacks. It is suitable for use in fields where there are high security requirements. It won a bronze Edison Award.

Hu Kuo-hsin
MIRDC
Through random chaotic encryption, we can randomly generate keys, and then perform dynamic encryption during transmission and reception. This means when hackers try to break in or crack codes, they won’t be able to guess what cryptographic key is being used.

This year’s winners of the Edison Awards, which are world-renowned prizes for innovation, have been announced. Taiwan nabbed a total of 18 awards, ranking No. 2 in the world. Among them, MIRDC won one gold, two silvers and one bronze, demonstrating extraordinary talent.

Lai Yung-hsiang
MIRDC chief executive
We are really honored to have achieved the fruitful results of one gold, two silvers and one bronze this year. Our main goals are finding ways to assist Taiwan’s medical and biotech industries and shorten the duration of surgery.

The MIRDC is proactive in promoting research and development for innovative technologies. It has won a total of 15 Edison Awards over eight consecutive years, showing it can stand out globally.

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#tech #innovation # MIRDC #edisonawards #cybersecurity #surgery

2025-06-09

Wasabi farming resumes in Alishan

Wasabi was once grown in the scenic mountains of Alishan at a high altitude and was a local specialty loved by Japanese and Taiwanese people alike. In 2017 its cultivation was banned in the interests of soil and water conservation. Then, three years ago, the local Indigenous people found a way to get around the strict regulations. Under the guidance of the county and central governments, they’ve moved wasabi cultivation to mid-altitude areas inside specialized greenhouses. As a result, it’s now expected to become the next local money spinner after high mountain tea and coffee.

Freshly ground wasabi is an indispensable side dish when you eat sashimi, but do you know how expensive this small piece of wasabi is?

Liao Hui-fen
National Chiayi University professor
You most commonly see a price of NT$15 per gram. The piece I’m holding in my hand is 30 grams, so it’s around NT$500.

As the adage goes, the rarer something is the greater its value. Over the past three years, wasabi cultivation in Alishan has resumed. Indigenous peoples have set up a co-op with the support of the Chiayi County Government and the Agriculture and Food Agency. They’ve built smart greenhouses that allow wasabi, which originally thrived on mountain tops more than 2,000 meters high, to grow at a medium altitude. It takes at least two years from seed planting to harvesting.

An Shu-mei
Co-op chair
It’s really not easy because we had to move crops from a very high altitude to a place about 1,000 meters lower down, so managing this involves preventing plant disease and pests. It was really an unimaginable hardship.

National Chiayi University assistant professor
Suitable planting temperatures should be between 13 and 18 degrees. When it drops to mid-altitude, the temperature rises and the temperature range is different. The pest and disease issues during the process of cultivation are very different from those in the original cultivation areas.

In fact, wasabi crops had been cultivated in Alishan earlier than high mountain tea and coffee. However, in 2017 it was branded a crop that harms soil and water conservation and its planting was banned. Alishan wasabi then disappeared from the market overnight.

Weng Chang-liang
Chiayi County Commissioner
Before there was coffee, wasabi from Alishan was a high-value crop and was mainly exported to Japan.

Wasabi cultivation has returned to Alishan. These Indigenous people have found a way to get around legal restrictions relating to land conservation and find a balance between making a living for themselves and the area’s natural ecology. It’s expected to become the next money spinner, after high mountain tea and coffee.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#agriculture #taiwan #alishan #wasabi #sashimi #yum

2025-06-09

Chain cafe eyeing lunchboxes to escape coffee price pinch

As climate change disrupts agriculture, coffee futures have skyrocketed, and costs show no sign of coming down. Domestic coffee shop chains are feeling the pinch. In search of new revenue sources, one brand has started selling healthy lunchboxes. They’ve proven popular among the workday crowd, selling even better than breakfasts. And it’s not just one company that’s increasing customer retention and lowering coffee costs by offering more meal options.

It’s your choice of chicken breast, teriyaki fish, vegetarian meatballs, or teriyaki chicken as the main, paired with five-grain rice, an egg, and boiled vegetables. The chairman of this major cafe brand personally prepared these healthy meals to announce their addition to the menu.

Customer
It’s really convenient. If I want to hang out at the cafe all day, I now have an option for lunch.

Huang Ming-hsien
Chain coffee shop chairman
We hope that the healthy meals will boost revenue by 10%. As of now, they’re offered at 200 locations. In the future we hope to have them everywhere, selling 300 to 400 a day. Coffee futures have quadrupled over the past year, so it’s hit us pretty hard. But it’s good that we’re launching the healthy meals and waffle sandwiches this year. We’re also rolling out multiple brands to soften the impact of coffee prices.

To evade the effects of rising coffee futures, this chain cafe is changing tactics. A centralized kitchen prepares the rice and mains, while each shop cooks the vegetables and puts the meals together. This not only ensures quality, but also avoids polluting the relaxing cafe environment with cooking fumes. They’re aiming to sell 1.5 million meals a year.

A souffle pancake is taken fresh off the pan, ready for a drizzling of lemon curd and sugar.

A refreshing lemon curd souffle with a layered rose lychee coffee seems like the perfect afternoon tea. For brunch, how about a poached egg with Japanese-style beef, squid over rice, or spicy alfredo pasta? If the heat is dampening your appetite, try this smoked salmon salad with apple, drizzled with lemon dressing.

Tsai Ching-pei
Cafe brand marketing director
After launching new coffee pairings in May this year, we’ve actually increased the proportion of meals that we offer, and customer retention is relatively good. The proportion of coffee orders is 35% to 40% on average. Meals have increased significantly to about 60% to 65%. Meal pairings when compared with last year have boosted total revenue by 10% to 15%.

The major coffee shop brands are trying out different strategies. Louisa, for instance, is offering more dining options, while Come True Coffee is targeting high-spending women aged 30 to 60 with their coffee sets. Over at Cama, they’re going through a complete rebranding to freshen their image.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#coffee #Louisa #ComeTrueCoffee #Cama

2025-06-09

Deported Chinese influencer urges reporting of ‘wanted’ Taiwanese

Yaya, a Chinese influencer in Taiwan, was deported from the country earlier this year after making videos calling for China’s military annexation of Taiwan. Last Thursday, she made a post on Chinese TikTok, urging her followers to find and report 20 members of Taiwan’s cybersecurity command “wanted” by Chinese authorities. Meanwhile, an official in Taiwan said Yaya’s speech even back in China will be taken into consideration to decide whether she’ll be permitted to revisit Taiwan after her travel ban.

Yaya, a Chinese influencer deported earlier this year resumed posting on her Chinese Tiktok account 45 days after leaving Taiwan, in mid-May. Last Thursday, she relayed a notice published by the Guangzhou police, in which 20 members of Taiwan’s cybersecurity command are wanted for an alleged cyberattack. She urged her followers to report the 20 people in question.

Yaya
Chinese influencer
Those lackeys of Taiwan independence pounced on me like mad dogs, and cursed me to such an extent that it seemed as if they would eat me alive. I know too well how vicious and disgusting these people are. I believe with the support of our powerful motherland, those separatist and destructive evildoers will sooner or later show their true colors.

Although she’s singing praises for her home country, some netizens wonder why she then, did she not bring her daughter back to China and settle down there. She gives an update just a day later.

Yaya
Chinese influencer
I’m feeling so nervous now, because it’s been a whole two months, a whole two months since I last saw Yiyi.

The short video shows the mother and daughter running toward each other in an embrace, against touching background music. The post has more than 21,000 likes on Chinese Tiktok. But a Taiwanese influencer isn’t having it.

Pa Chiung
Influencer
She’s not going back there permanently to study. If she were to move back permanently and study there, then she would’ve gone with her two older brothers. It won’t just be the daughter alone, traveling to Fujian to see her mother, no? Why won’t you announce publicly that you’re going to apply for a PRC ID for your third child? It’s not like you can’t, right? So why did you still go out of the way to get her an ROC passport, which the CCP does not recognize? Why do you always say one thing but do another.

Meanwhile, a Taiwanese official reveals that Yaya’s speech even in China will be taken into consideration to decide whether she’ll be able to come back to Taiwan after her travel ban.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#influencer #chinese #chineseinfluencer #yaya #亞亞 #crossstrait #taiwan #news #china

2025-06-09

Father sends extravagant floral wreaths commemorating daughter’s graduation

Outside a middle school in Kaohsiung’s Nanzi District, a family had an impressive display of large red and yellow floral wreaths set up to congratulate their daughter on her graduation. It cost them NT$20,000 to organize this eye-catching display, but the school thought it was too over-the-top and requested the family to remove it immediately.

In a dazzling display, 11 red and yellow floral wreaths are set up outside this middle school in Kaohsiung’s Nanzi District to wish one student a happy graduation. The student’s family, whose names are written below the wreaths, organized this extravagant display to express their best wishes for their darling daughter, who was graduating the next day.

Nearby resident
It’s quite special, because it’s the first time I’ve seen this. Very few people would set up a display like this at a school. At first I thought it was funny, like, did the student’s father make a silly advertisement?

Voice of Student’s parent
I wanted to give my kid a memorable graduation ceremony. She said she was happy, because it was special, like a unique experience.

For this father, just sending flowers was too predictable, so he spent NT$20,000 to have a series of floral wreaths designed, giving his daughter an unexpected display outside her middle school. Each wreath displays a Chinese character, together wishing his daughter a smooth and successful graduation. Passersby couldn’t help but take a second look at the colorful spectacle, but some students found it inappropriate.

Student
It’s strange, because it’s… Yeah, it’s hard to explain.

Student
It’s like a funeral, really like a funeral.

Huang Chien-yuan
Director of student affairs
It is inappropriate to display wreaths like this at a public school. We asked him to move them as soon as possible. It also impacts pedestrian safety.

Usually, friends and family present students with flowers at their graduation ceremony. But this father chose a different approach, setting up extravagant wreaths outside the school the day before. This creative expression of love may have stirred some controversy, but it gave his beloved daughter an unforgettable graduation experience.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#graduation #father #daughter #family #middleschool #student #flowers #wreath #graduationflowers #Kaohsiung

2025-06-09

Retro salonsdrawing younger, foreign clientele from internet

The traditional Taiwanese style of salon that provides shaves, massages, and haircuts has gone out of vogue as modern salons take over. But recently, the Tourism Administration brought four British influencers to one of these establishments in Tainan, showing Taiwan’s retro hair washing culture to the world. Taipei’s retro salons are also having a comeback.

A stylist raises a chair as she checks the hairstyle with her client.

She makes small talk while clipping his hair without pause. This traditional salon down a small Wanhua alley has been open for 60 years. They have a steady stream of customers all afternoon, arriving even before each client is finished.

Paul
Regular client
I’m used to coming here. They know what I want. They were all taught by the older generation of experts, so there’s still a difference in what they’ve learned.

Some people have been coming here since high school. From the hairdryer, to the chairs and bottles of Florida Water, everything in this salon has a retro feel. The stylists are all clearly deft at cutting and washing hair.

Ms. Chien
Owner
Some people were brought here as babies and are still coming here at over 40. We have two, three generations who all come in. So I have to thank these young guys. We also have quite a few foreigners. They’re here to travel and swing by our salon for a cut.

Its retro feel is its own draw. Not only young Taiwanese will seek it out, but even foreign travelers looking for a different experience.

A group of British influencers sit side by side in salon chairs enjoying a Taiwanese-style hair wash. This salon, in business for 45 years, offers more than just cuts. They also provide face masks and steaming, as well as acupressure massage.

Member of public
I think all their services are very good. They’re very relaxing and they’ll chat with us. For the past one or two years now, you have to make a reservation.

Ms. Huang
Beautician
These days it’s mostly younger people, after it was shared online. We’ve had clients from Canada and the US, also France and Germany.

Wang Hsiu-lien
Owner
Our beauticians are over 60 on average, some are over 70. They all take English lessons.

Although they’re over 60 on average, the beauticians are all learning English to better serve their foreign clientele. They hope to provide the best service possible so that visitors from around the world will fall in love with Taiwan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#hairsalon #salon #Taiwanesesalon #traditional #retro #oldschool #haircut #hairwash #Tainan #Taipei

2025-06-09

Luggage comes apart on car passing through highway

2025-06-09

K-pop girl group TWICE to perform in Kaohsiung

K-pop girl group TWICE recently announced its upcoming world tour. For the first time, they will be performing in Taiwan, at Kaohsiung National Stadium, on Nov. 22. This is also the first time for Taiwanese member Tzuyu to appear professionally in her home country, following the national flag incident in 2016 that roused cross-strait sensitivities and had the group halt all activities in both Taiwan and China.

Top K-pop girl group TWICE is known for its upbeat music and dance moves. On Sunday evening, the group announced its upcoming world tour, which included Kaohsiung in November.

Fan of TWICE
I might try to get tickets, because it’s rare for them to come to Kaohsiung. In fact, it’s their first time here.

Fan of TWICE
Finally! They’ve always held their concerts elsewhere, never in Taiwan. It’d be great if they could announce more dates for Taiwan.

One of the members, Tzuyu was born in Tainan, which undoubtedly added to the group’s popularity in Taiwan. Last year, she also traveled across the country with fellow TWICE members Jihyo and Jeongyeon. However, Tzuyu had never appeared in a professional capacity in her home country, due to an incident that had her unwittingly rouse cross-strait sensitivities.

Tzuyu (2016)
Member of TWICE
There is only one China. I feel extremely apologetic to my company and to Internet friends on both sides of the strait for the hurt that I have caused, and I also feel very guilty.

In 2016, at the tender age of 16, Tzuyu was forced to read out this apology. She had held up Taiwan’s national flag alongside South Korea’s on a South Korean TV show, which sparked backlash from Chinese netizens. The group’s management also decided to suspend activities in both China and Taiwan. Almost a decade later, TWICE finally made it back to China.

In February this year, TWICE made a public appearance in Shanghai, which had netizens speculate that the group may finally perform in Taiwan. Now, it’s officially confirmed that they will indeed be performing in Kaohsiung in November. For the first time in her career, Tzuyu could finally appear onstage in her home country. More exciting for fans, she’s also become an artist in her own right.

Last year, Tzuyu debuted her solo album. She even wrote the lyrics to one of the top songs “Fly” herself. The song conveyed feelings of hope and perseverance, and marked a new milestone in her 10-year career.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#kpop #twice #tzuyu #celebritynews #entertainment #crossstrait

2025-06-09