Nine people, eight patients and one employee, have died as the result of a fire at Antai Tian-Sheng Memorial Hospital (TSMH) in Pingtung County on Thursday morning. The Health Ministry stated in a press conference Thursday afternoon that it has initiated an investigation into the exact cause.
The fire broke out in the TSMH power distribution room and spread for more than three hours before it was brought under control. The building was evacuated and 101 patients were transferred to other hospitals in the vicinity.
Deputy Health Minister Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said that due to the heavy casualties caused by this accident, many people are worried about hospital safety. The Health Ministry has also announced that it will be following Article 35 of the Medical Accident Prevention and Dispute Resolution Act which came into effect at the beginning of this year. Lin elaborated that the purpose of the law is to determine whether there are systemic problems, improve them, and provide other medical institutions with the opportunity to make adjustments to prevent future major accidents.