A 2-year-old local girl surnamed Tang sustained a serious head injury in a gas explosion at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taichung earlier this month – and Taiwan’s semi-official Central News Agency (CNA) yesterday afternoon quoted that city’s China Medical University Hospital representative as saying that the girl would be transferred to Macau by a medical charter flight, while public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre officials said yesterday evening that the girl remained in coma and was currently in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).
On February 13, a gas explosion occurred at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in central Taiwan’s Taichung city, hitting seven members of a four-generation local family with falling objects in front of the building, resulting in two fatalities and five injuries. The girl’s grandfather – a retired Public Security Police (PSP) officer – was killed at the accident scene, while her grandmother, who worked at the Fortuna casino-hotel, was rushed to the hospital but died in the emergency room. The 2-year-old girl was first taken to Taichung’s Cheng Ching Hospital and then to China Medical University Hospital, accompanied by her parents.
The CNA report quoted the representative as noting that the girl’s vital signs – body temperature, pulse rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure – stabilised after several days of treatment, with her brain pressure lower than at the time of her admission to hospital. However, according to the representative, the girl “remained in the danger zone”* yesterday.
The CNA media report noted that in co-ordination with the family, the girl left the hospital yesterday afternoon to be transferred to Macau by a medical charter flight, together with her 85-year-old great-grandmother and 24-year-old uncle.
According to Taiwan media reports, due to severe head trauma, the girl underwent emergency cranial decompression surgery after being transferred to China Medical University Hospital.
As reported, the family held a funeral ceremony and cremation for the grandparents last Thursday. Their ashes were reportedly carried by family members on the flight back to Macau yesterday.
Taiwan media reported that the cost of the medical charter flight was fully covered by Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, quoting a representative as saying that the company would also take responsibility for the girl’s subsequent medical-related expenses in Macau.
Public hospital ‘fully commits’ to treatment
According to public broadcaster TDM, the girl arrived at the hospital at about 4 p.m. yesterday and was taken to its ICU by the medical team. The hospital’s Chief Paediatrician Wong Fong Ian was quoted as saying that the girl had suffered serious brain damage, requiring a ventilator to keep her breathing and heart beating.
Dr Wong also said reportedly that with the help of blood pressure medication, the girl’s blood pressure has stabilised, adding that her department will arrange for imaging examination and consult with the Neurosurgery Department to follow up on the treatment plan.
Dr Wong emphasised that the hospital has relevant experience in treating brain injuries, which, however, may take a long time to recover, assuring that the hospital will try its best to look after the girl and give her active treatment, remaining fully committing to her treatment.
Chang Tam Fei, director of the hospital’s emergency department, said that the Health Bureau has liaised with various public entities since the accident to understand the girl’s condition, and has also updated itself about the girl’s injuries and current status through a preliminary report.
He noted that after receiving the family’s wish last week to transfer the girl to Macau for treatment, medical representatives from both Macau and Taiwan hospitals convened to assess her condition before facilitating her return to Macau for further treatment.
*The phrase “remain in the danger zone” typically refers to a situation where someone continues to be in a risky, hazardous, or critical state. – DeepSeek
The 2-year-old girl is transferred by ambulance from a medical charter flight to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre yesterday afternoon. – Photo courtesy of TDM
