The National Health Insurance Administration is set to cover the medical costs for the victims of a devastating fire that took place at a local water park last weekend.
The administration reached an agreement with New Taipei City on Tuesday after several rounds of negotiations. Under the agreement, the injured will not be charged for the medical care they receive for the first three months.
The administration’s deputy director-general, Tsai Shu-ling , spoke about the agreement on Tuesday.
“Those covered by national health insurance will, of course, receive medical care as they are insured," said Tsai.
"As to items which are not covered, they will also be paid for by the administration. We will not charge patients a fee, since the New Taipei City Government will use donations to pay the money back every month.”
Last Saturday’s explosion at an outdoor party in New Taipei City has left one dead and more than a hundred people still in intensive care, some with life-threatening conditions.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Chiang Been-huang put the total medical costs for all of the victims at anywhere between NT$200 million (US$6.6 million) and NT$600 million (US$20 million).
Also on Tuesday, the government said it is planning to use money from an emergency fund to cover the medical costs.