Saying that jailed former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has severe depression, Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) yesterday recommended that Chen be transferred to a hospital with a specialized psychiatric department for further treatment.
Chou Yuan-hua (周元華), a psychiatrist at the hospital, told a press conference held jointly with Taipei Prison to explain Chen’s medical situation that Chen has severe depression and anxiety, and that many depression sufferers can also have physical symptoms such as headaches and chest tightness.
The hospital added that a speech impediment from which Chen is suffering is caused by major depression, rather than a stroke or dementia.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Chou said the former head of state needs to be hospitalized to receive treatment for his depression, a course of treatment that can take from nine months to two years.
He said that while the TVGH has the ability to treat people with depression, the doctor-patient relationship is as important as the medical treatment, adding that the medical environment and family support should also be taken into account when choosing a hospital.
The hospital therefore recommended that Chen be transferred to a specialized psychiatric hospital, he added.
Chen, serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption in Taipei Prison, has been hospitalized since Sept. 21 and his family has on several occasions expressed doubt over the credibility of the hospital because it falls under the government’s Veterans Affairs Commission.
In response to the hospital’s statement, Taipei Prison Deputy Warden Su Ching-chun (蘇清俊) said the prison would evaluate every possibility carefully after it receives the complete test results and diagnoses from the hospital.
He said that if Chen cannot be treated in prison and has to go to a hospital, it would probably be the Taipei City Hospital’s Songde branch or the Taoyuan Mental Hospital.
Su added Chen’s condition does not qualify him to be granted medical parole.
Separately yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers again appealed to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to grant Chen medical parole, saying: “President Ma has come to a critical juncture to make the decision.”
It is “an eminent problem” that both the governing and opposition parties have to deal with, because Chen Shui-bian is “in a critical health condition,” DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said.
The decision Ma makes would determine whether Chen can carry on living, Ker said, urging Ma to give Taiwan a chance and Chen an opportunity to live.
At this juncture in history, Ma could make a decision that can reflect concerns related to medical humanitarianism, the dignity of a former head of state, social harmony and the possibility of ending the political division in the country, Ker said.
DPP Legislator Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) said Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) supported the appeal that Chen should be granted medical parole.
“I saw Premier Chen this morning in the legislative building. He extended his hands to me and told me that he discussed the matter with [Legislative] Speaker Wang [Jin-pyng (王金平)] last week,” Hsu said.
DPP Legislator Mark Chen (陳唐山) said he also had a chance to talk to Sean Chen yesterday and he received the same information from Sean Chen as Hsu did.
At a separate setting yesterday, when approached by press for verification, Premier Chen denied that he supported A-bian receiving medical parole, saying that he supported a review of the existing rules regarding privileges, including medical care, granted to convicted heads of state under the Statute Governing Preferential Treatment to Retired Presidents and Vice Presidents (卸任總統副總統禮遇條例).
The Executive Yuan later issued a statement saying that DPP lawmakers brought up the Chen Shui-bian case with Sean Chen in which the premier, in response, said he supported a comprehensive review of the privileges system, but did not mention any specific case.
Later yesterday, in response to a question by DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) on the legislative floor during a question-and-answer session, the premier declined to offer his “personal views” on whether Chen Shui-bian should be granted medical parole.
“I consistently hold the view that a decision on medical parole is based on science and law. It is not a political decision. If I were prison warden of Taipei Prison, I would demand a detailed health report on [Chen Shui-bian] from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital and deal with the matter in accordance with the law,” he said.
He added that, in line with the Prison Act (監獄行刑法), whether to grant medical parole to an inmate is a decision made by the director of the Agency of Corrections of the Ministry of Justice, currently Wu Sen-Chang (吳憲璋).
Pressed by Lee on his stance, the premier said he could not reveal his personal views, to refrain from influencing Wu in making a decision on the case.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS