President Chen Shui-bian (
Regretfully, Chen said, Taiwan is still unable to join the World Health Organization (WHO) and its willingness and ability to play a constructive role in the global health care system continues to be unrecognized.
Chen said he sincerely hoped that, with the support of foreign diplomats and representatives of the various other countries, Taiwan would be able to join the WHO soon.
At a time when the country has been fighting a battle against a rising number of SARS infections all by itself for more than a month, and after the serious infections inside the Taiwan Municipal Hoping Hospital and Jen Chi Hospital, the WHO has finally sent two low-profile specialists to help combat the SARS epidemic.
The predicament of Taiwan and the discriminatory treatment it receives highlight the importance and urgency of the nation's entry into the WHO.
After decades of hard work, Taiwan has become an affluent and prosperous country boasting the 16th largest economy in the world. In particular, the nation not only achieved enormous economic accomplishments, it also completed political reforms to become a free, democratic, and prosperous country that attaches a high priority to the protection of human rights.
Taiwan's accomplishments were praised by US Secretary of State Collin Powell as a success story, instead of a problem. However, it is probably hard for most people in the world to imagine that such a success story has been shut out from the international community for the past three decades, as if it was some international orphan.
China not only bullishly and constantly gives Taiwan political beatings, but in fact won't even allow Taiwan to join some non-political international organizations, depriving it of the right to basic international human rights.
Take the WHO, for example. When Taiwan withdrew from the UN, it was also forced out of the WHO. Thereafter, just like a person without medical insurance, Taiwan could not seek help from the WHO and has been shut out of the international medical and healthcare system even when faced with serious epidemics, such as caused by the enterovirus and dengue fever.
The SARS epidemic spread from China's Guangdong Province to Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto where a large number of ethnic Chinese immigrants congregate. Later, it further spread to Taiwan via busy cross-strait interactions.
It may be said that Taiwan has been a victim of China. However, after Taiwan was victimized, it was unable to obtain the relevant data and information as a result of its exclusion from the WHO.
It was able to rely only on help from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the help of the medical community at home to confine the initial phase of the outbreak of the disease.
But, after infections occurred within Hoping Hospital and Jen Chi Hospital, things began to get out of control. In times like these, besides adopting tough governmental measures, there is an even greater need for aid from international health care and medical organizations.
As indicated by Department of Health specialist General Hsiao Mei-ling (
At first the WHO refused to record the data at all, then it recorded the data under a name that Taiwan did not want, and then ranked the outbreak in Taiwan on a par with Hong Kong and Vietnam. It was only after Taiwan protested that the WHO finally made some changes.
If Taiwan does a good job of controling the spread of the disease after the serious infections in Hoping Hospital, the WHO may never send anyone over. Hsiao asked whether the WHO wants to wait until a new epidemic starts in the country before it gives Taiwan due attention? If so, it is truly sad.
This means it was only because the spread of the epidemic in Taiwan hit a new high that the WHO finally broke through the taboo of the past 30 years and dispatched people over to help, on the quiet. Plus, the help is only humanitarian in nature.
China even revealed through its Xianhua News Agency that the WHO had obtained its permission first before making the move. While the claim had been denied by the government in Taiwan, it proved the cold-blooded nature of the Chinese regime.
The legislatures of the US, EU, Japan and many other countries had passed resolutions supporting Taiwan's entry into the WHO. But, the moral support of the international community was not able to help Taiwan gain entry, due to China's objections.
US Senator Lincoln Chafee, who has recently visited both sides of the Taiwan Strait, indicated last week in the US Senate that when he and Senator Bill Frist, among others, visited China in mid-April, there was a sense that the Beijing leadership's opposition against Taiwan joining the WHO seemed much stronger than any concerns it had about resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis
It is plainly evident that the stubborn Chinese leadership simply have no regard for the lives of the people of this country.
Entry into the WHO would be beneficial both to this nation and others. The level of medical achievements and research here is already rather advanced, and therefore may benefit the world. Taiwan also has frequent interaction with the rest of the world.
If an uncontrollable epidemic hits Taiwan, this country may just become an exporter of disease, jeopardizing the safety of other countries.
Take the SARS epidemic, for example. Taiwan simply can't become a hole in the disease prevention net of the international community. Otherwise, Taiwan and the entire world will be hurt.
The people of Taiwan are deeply thankful that the WHO has finally sent people to the country to help out. But if the delay caused by political pressure makes the disease uncontrollable, the victim will be the entire world. This is the reason why Taiwan must join the WHO.
The four co-chairs of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus, including Representative Sherrod Brown, sent a joint letter on May 4 to the WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland, calling on her to openly support Taiwan's observer status during this year's World Health Assembly.
These four representatives indicated that they believe the WHO would be able to play a key role in providing Taiwan with timely and accurate information on controlling the SARS epidemic, as well as help countries hit by SARS to fight the virus that has become a threat to world health.
The WHO's attachment of importance to political consideration and the shortsightedness of China above and beyond the healthcare needs of the people in Taiwan, as well as refusal to accept Taiwan's bid to enter the WHO, is both unethical and immoral.
The fight against the virus transcends national boundaries, ethnic groups and ideologies. No oversight and carelessness can be allowed in this fight. The world should stand together in order to ensure the life and health of mankind in its entirety.
As the SARS epidemic sweeps across the world, even the WHO has to send people to the country. Obviously, it is about time for it to accept Taiwan.
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