The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday denied a media report that it did not provide assistance to a Taiwanese national who was hospitalized during a trip to Switzerland.
CTi News on its YouTube channel on Saturday reported that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Switzerland “refused to handle the situation” after it was notified of a medical emergency.
The ministry yesterday said that the office received a telephone call from a woman surnamed Liu (劉) on June 20, saying that her husband, surnamed Weng (翁), was in a coma and was to be sent to a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Liu asked the office to help with interpretation and offer suggestions for cheap accommodation near the hospital, the ministry said.
She also said that it would be difficult for her to carry their luggage by herself, it said.
Staff at the office said that they would look for interpreters and accommodation, the ministry said.
They also provided the contact information of the Taiwanese Emergency Assistance Association in Zurich, which the Overseas Community Affairs Council helped establish, it said.
The staff told Liu that the office could communicate with hospitals or social welfare units on her behalf, the ministry said.
However, due to limited personnel and the long distance between Liu’s location, the hospital and the office, it would have been difficult to help her transport the luggage, which is outside the scope of the emergency services provided by the office, it added.
The office called Liu and Weng to follow up on their situation and sent staff to visit them twice in Zurich, the ministry said.
Weng’s condition has improved, it said, adding that Liu and her son expressed their gratitude to overseas Taiwanese and the office for their assistance.
The office did not refuse to handle the issue as reported by CTi News, it said, calling the report “highly regrettable and unacceptable.”
The ministry advised people who plan to travel to Europe to buy adequate travel insurance, as fees for medical services there are high.
In the event of an emergency, Taiwanese can call the emergency numbers of the Representative Office abroad; or the ministry’s emergency hotline at +886-800-085-095.
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