The government and the ruling People Power Party have vowed to ensure that emergency medical services remain fully accessible during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The ruling bloc made the pledge Thursday during a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly.

The government and the ruling party said they will designate the two-week period from January 20 to February 5 as an emergency response period for medical services. 

The ruling bloc plans to encourage as many hospitals and pharmacies as possible to operate during the holiday weekend, which will last six days as the government designated January 27 as a temporary holiday.

The government also decided to designate officials from the health and interior ministries and local governments to monitor the operational status of 413 emergency rooms nationwide. 

In addition, the government plans to increase its payment for doctors’ medical services at night and during holidays at emergency rooms.

The ruling camp also decided to set up a joint government task force to actively respond to the spread of flu and other respiratory diseases.