In a whirlwind reversal of fortune, Chiou Shu-ti (
Once praised for her farsightedness in urging the Cabinet-level Department of Health to list SARS as statutory communicable disease in March, Chiou is under fire a month later for belatedly reporting SARS cases at TMHH, leading to the first mass infection of SARS and escalating jitters across the nation.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
When TMHH was accused of sitting on reports of seven SARS cases in the facility earlier last week, Chiou refuted the accusation, saying it was the health department that should be held accountable for delays in determining probable SARS cases.
However, deputy director of the health department Lee Lung-teng (
"The first suspected SARS case at TMHH occurred on April 18, but the hospital did not report the case until April 21. The hospital not only delayed the reporting process, but also failed to impose any necessary quarantine measures in the mean time," Lee said.
Lee said it was the responsibility of the city's Bureau of Health to continue reporting all SARS-related cases immediately to the health department no matter how much time the agency required to process previous cases.
Chiou, a 41-year-old Tainan native, was originally a family doctor. She then switched her specialty to preventive medicine and later earned a masters degree in public health from National Taiwan University.
In 1995, she moved with her husband Yang Tseng-hui (
Her post in Ilan lasted four years before being recruited in 2001 by Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
In Taipei, Chiou was considered one of the most capable aides among Ma's administrative cadre.
Describing herself as simply not interested in politics, Chiou said she is simply using the post to help her carry out her expertise.
However, the outbreak of SARS at TMHH has found Chiou caught up in accusations of overseeing a chaotic hospital management system in the city.
When SARS first struck in March, Chiou acted quickly to curb the disease by advising the health department to list the mysterious atypical pneumonia as a statutory communicable disease to allow for tougher prevention efforts.
On March 27, when the health department finally decided to heed the advice after four employees of CTCI Corp were diagnosed with SARS, Chiou won tremendous applause for her forethought.
At that time, Chiou also warned of potential local transmissions within one month. Sure enough, her prediction came true at TMHH, which is under her jurisdiction.
The resultant chaos at the hospital, which a US Center for Disease official in Taiwan described as "out of order," has tarnished Chiou's reputation and even to calls for her resignation.
Taipei City Councilors blasted loopholes in Taipei's preventive system and blamed Chiou for creating them.
DPP city councilor Lee Wen-ying (
"She didn't do her job well enough to carry out the policy, but when problems occurred, she never hesitated to blame the government first," Lee said. "Whenever it comes to merits, she accepts, but when troubles come out, she dodges the flak."
Another DPP city councilor, Liu Yao-ren (
Before TMHH's quarantine was announced, Taipei City had only delivered 37 household quarantine notices, while Taipei County had 92 household quarantine cases and Hsinchu City 84, Liu said.
"Some staff from the city's health bureau even confessed that the city's quarantine measures were poorly implemented," Liu said.
Despite harsh criticism and calls for Chiou to step down, Taipei City Mayor Ma defended his official by saying the city administration will not conceal or sit on any SARS-related cases. Ma added that now is not the time to engage in a war of words.
Chiou's appearances have been relatively low-key of late, compared to her previous confrontations with the government.
Her only response to the criticism surrounding her was, "My priority is to contain the spread of SARS. It's not up to me to decide what criticisms or merits I deserve."
Nevertheless, she also said that certain medical staff in the city, including TMHH, were ineffective in imposing quarantine measures.
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