Former Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital superintendent Wu Kang-wen (
Wu and Lin were summoned by Taipei Chief Prosecutor Chen Tai-wei (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Wu was removed from his post earlier this month and Lin was fined NT$90,000 by the Taipei City Bureau of Health for delaying the reporting of possible SARS cases.
The Taipei City Government said it stands by its decision to fine three Hoping Hospital doctors, Lin, Chang Yu-tai (
"According to the Communicable Disease Prevention Law (傳染病防治法) Article 29, a doctor must report patients suspected of carrying a statutory communicable diseases to the health authority within 24 hours," said Chen Ching-hsiu (陳清秀), director-general of the Law and Regulation Commission.
"The delayed report sheets we have are clearly signed by the doctors."
According to Chen, all three doctors were a day late in reporting.
Chang claims he signed all three report sheets on behalf of his colleagues.
"If what Chang says about him signing for others is true then we may be looking at a case of forgery, which would entail a more serious consequence," Chen said.
Chen also said that a doctor should not just report cases to other administrative departments within the hospital or ask colleagues to handle them but should ensure they are reported to the authorities as soon as possible.
Chen said that a doctor who broke the law could be fined between NT$90,000 to NT$450,000.
"Unless the doctors can provide concrete evidence of their innocence, our decision to fine them will stand," Chen said.
All three doctors were invited to offer evidence against the allegations two days ago but, according to the Taipei City Government, could not offer any written proof to collaborate their stories.
"The doctors should report any suspected cases," said Wu Wen-hao (
"Many doctors simply do not understand the law. They should be more careful, and should not sign documents if they are not directly responsible," Wu said.
Chang will hold a press conference today to offer his side of the story.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees