The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that starting on the 6th through Apr. 18 it will preannounce legislation for a partial amendment to the Enforcement Rule of the Emergency Medical Service Act, including adjustments to ambulance transport fees, and a partial amendment to the Rules on Standards for Ambulances and on Facilities and Other Standards for Emergency Patient Transport Services.
The revision aims to strengthen oversight of the patient transport process by ambulance and adjust transport treatment fees, while reflecting in subordinate regulations the amended Emergency Medical Service Act set to take effect in Apr. 2027.
Under the amendment, two people, including one emergency medical technician, must always be on board when an ambulance is dispatched, regardless of whether the patient is an emergency case. Dispatch and treatment records and the operation logbook will be managed electronically, and it will be mandatory to transmit operation information in real time through the Ambulance run Information Record system (AiR).
Transport treatment fees will also be adjusted. The base fare and additional charges will be raised, the scope of nighttime surcharges will be expanded, and a new holiday surcharge will be introduced. The plan also includes imposing a waiting fee if 30 minutes elapse after arrival at a medical institution.
When handing over a patient to a medical institution, emergency medical personnel will be allowed to sign as the recipient, and the document submission requirement to verify staffing standards when granting a permit for emergency patient transport services will be strengthened. The list of medicines that must be stocked in ambulances will add an epinephrine auto-injector for administration in cases of anaphylactic shock.
Ambulance construction standards will also be revised. The patient compartment length will be adjusted to 290 cm or more, and emergency patient transport companies must secure two drivers and two emergency medical technicians per special ambulance.
The ministry plans to finalize the amendment after gathering opinions during the preannouncement period. Related opinions can be submitted to the Disaster Medical Policy Division of the ministry or through the National Participation Legislation Center by Mar. 18.