On 30 October, Hsinchu County Magistrate Chiu Ching-chun brought some good news to the opening of the second scheduled meeting of the 18th County Council: he presented a document issued by the central Ministry of Health and Welfare, formally ratifying the establishment of 499 beds in a new hospital in the Hsinchu Healthy Industrial Park. County Council Speaker Zhang Zhen-rong, Deputy Speaker Chen Jian-sian and other members of the council praised the hard work of the government team. They also expressed their happiness and gratitude on behalf of the residents that Hsinchu County’s medical resources, which have long lagged behind the rest of the country, are finally receiving the attention they deserve.
Magistrate Chiu explained that, according to the Permit Regulations for Establishing and Expanding Hospitals, regional provision of hospital beds for acute illnesses should be under 50 beds per 10,000 people. With the population of Hsinchu County standing at 540,000 and with an average of only 16 beds per 10,000 people, there is currently a shortfall of up to 1,346 beds. Today's attainment of 499 beds will help to address the lack of medical resources, and efforts in this area will continue. Following the approval for a hospital in the Hsinchu Healthy Industrial Park, work will continue such as land transformation, environmental impact assessments and public bidding, in order to serve the health needs of the county.
Director General of the Hsinchu County Public Health Bureau, Yin Tung-cheng has stated that the County Government will make great efforts in outsourcing of operations to ensure development in the areas of acute, critical care, stroke, cardiovascular disease, maternal and pediatric care, complementary use of Chinese and Western medicine, and internationally-oriented health policy. Over the next four years, healthcare provision in Hsinchu County will be more comprehensive and further development of healthcare resources in Hsinchu City, Zhubei City and Zhudong region to ensure ever more convenient healthcare for the area’s residents.
The location for the Hsinchu Healthy Industrial Park Hospital has been provisionally chosen in the Taike area of Zhubei City, hoping that significant experience in health center management will ensure the establishment of a hospital of international standard. In addition to providing residents of the Hsinchu and Miaoli areas with front-line health care, the hospital will also work with the area's considerable scientific resources to develop an international health park that combines medical treatment, academia, industry and culture.