A group of six Japanese medical experts is in Taiwan to visit burn victims who were injured in an explosion at a water park in New Taipei. It’s been half a month since the incident occurred, and there are still more than 400 people in hospital, including 213 in critical condition.
The victims were injured during a party when colored powder that was sprayed on the crowd exploded and burst into flames.
The team from Japan is being led by Professor Matsuda Naoyuki who is from the Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Medicine.
Taiwan Medical Association Secretary-General Tsai Ming-chung on Monday explained the nature of the visit.
“The Japanese doctors who have come this time include burn and urgent care specialists, as well as a specialist in infection control," said Tsai.
"In the next three days, they will visit five hospitals to get a better understanding of what’s being done and the overall care situation," he said.
The Japanese team began with a visit to Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei, which is caring for 47 burn victims.The visit was low-key, and the doctors did not answer questions from the media.
As to whether they will participate in operations, Tsai said that it depends on the needs of the various hospitals, but that any collaboration would be in keeping with Taiwan’s law, which has restrictions on foreigners practicing medicine.