Limp Infant Spent 2+ Hours in ER Without Seeing Doctor 媽媽抱嬰兒到高醫 等2小時還沒看到醫生

With the case count soaring in southern Taiwan, patients are having to wait for hours to get to see a doctor. A Kaohsiung resident said he witnessed a mother with an infant waiting over two hours without anyone paying attention to them.

A team disinfects the area outside Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital's ER. Kaohsiung has reported more cases than Taipei in the last few days. A local man that accompanied his parents to the ER on the 28th says they had to wait over six hours to see a doctor. During that time, he witnessed a woman with a limp infant waiting over two hours without anyone paying attention to them.

Mr. Lin, Patient's Family Member: “Even from a distance of 20-30 meters I could hear the mother sobbing and begging for someone to help save her child.”

After Mr. Lin wrote about his experience on Facebook, the hospital responded that there was an infant that was more in need of care in the ER at the time.

Chen Tai-heng, Pediatric Chief, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital: “An infant under 12 months old may need to be intubated if they are in respiratory distress. This was considered a severe case, so we spent more time and effort on this case in the ER.”

Citizen: “Hospitals have a high viral load. You might enter the hospital not infected, but leave infected.”

Citizen: “I've (waited) three or four hours (to see a doctor). (But you think it's understandable?) Yes.”

The hospital says parents of children with mild symptoms should seek treatment at outdoor epidemic clinics instead if they want to cut down on waiting time. Over in Tainan, National Cheng Kung University Hospital's ER is likewise struggling. Hospital officials say the number of ER patients has doubled since the government began treating positive rapid tests as confirmed cases. 

Lee Jing-wei, Vice Superintendent, National Cheng Kung University Hospital: “We're pretty much at full capacity. We've even added internists, epidemiologists and pulmonologists to our team.”

The hospital says it is operating at close to capacity treating moderate to severe cases and hospitals may be starting to collapse under their own weight as the case count keeps rising.

高醫急診室外，穿著防護衣的工作人員，載運完病患全面消毒，高市確診病例數連續幾天高過台北市，顯示南部疫情延燒，有民眾在上週六帶確診的父母到高醫急診室，他說當天等了6個多小時才離開，過程中還看到女子抱著癱軟的嬰兒等2個小時還沒有看診，讓他相當不捨。

病患家屬林先生說：「距離至少20-30公尺以上，都可以聽得到媽媽在那邊嚎哭，說誰來救救我的小孩，誰來救救我的小孩。」

林先生將整個過程發表在臉書社群，高醫回應，同時段正好有確診嬰兒出現重症病況，醫護人員插管全力救治，才請民眾等待。

高醫小兒急診科主任陳泰亨醫師解釋：「不到1歲呼吸窘迫可能需要插管，這是屬於重症的個案，所以在我們急診室現場，在處理這個個案的時候，就花比較多的時間跟心力。」

民眾說：「（醫院）病毒量還蠻高的，可能有時候之前沒有確診，可能到這邊來就會確診。」、「等3到4個小時也有（記者問：「但你覺得是可以體諒的？」）可以。」

高醫表示，有事先告知民眾，也診治完全數民眾，建議家中有確診輕症兒童，利用快篩陽性門診減少等待時間。但醫療量能緊繃的情況，也出現在台南，成大醫院急診室表示，陽性即確診政策上路後，急診的人數跟過去尖峰相比，增加一到兩倍。

成大醫院副院長李經維指出：「開出來的床數就幾乎全滿了，我們甚至要啟動到像各位所了解的，有些並不是內科或感染科胸腔科的醫師，也要加入這樣的戰局。

成大表示，收治的病患，中重症人數逐漸增加，院內醫療量能幾乎滿載，也憂心若擔心疫情持續升溫，中重症人數累加，可能會有醫院像之前北部醫療崩潰的情況。