Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) yesterday announced the promotion of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) to deputy minister of health and welfare, while Chou’s deputy, Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), is to become the new CDC head.
Chou is to take over the post vacated by Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), who last week was tapped to head the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA), Hsueh said.
Chou, who had headed the CDC since September 2016, had for the past more than three years put in a lot of efforts as the leader of the CDC, as well as head of the Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) disease surveillance division, to deal with COVID-19 response and control, the minister said.
Photo: CNA
Hsueh added that he earlier yesterday received the order for the promotions, which were approved by the Executive Yuan.
“Both of them have specialized expertise, not only in COVID-19 response, but also in the prevention and control of many communicable diseases, and have performed well given their long-term experience in the field,” Hsueh said, adding that he expects a seamless transition into their new jobs.
As the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight, the CECC will gradually be wrapping up its operations, so there will be no changes in official titles and duties, Hsueh said.
That means Chou will continue to head the CECC’s disease surveillance division, while Chuang will remain as the head of the communicable disease prevention division and Shih the head of the medical response division.
However, there will be an adjustment to the CECC spokesperson position, with CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, likely taking over the position from Chuang, Hsueh said.
Asked about the shortage of some medicines, such as antacid magnesium oxide and amoxicillin antibiotic products, Hsueh said the ministry had held a meeting with pharmaceutical companies and asked them to boost production, as well as adjust product distribution to better meet the needs of hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
The ministry is looking at medium-term solutions, such as expanding the Food and Drug Administration’s drug shortage reporting platform to facilitate detection of shortages, he said.
A longer-term solution is revising the National Health Insurance system’s drug procurement policies to avoid a supply and demand imbalance, Hsueh said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS