Lawmaker takes up coach's battle

A call for medical fees incurred in Belgium by the national high school badminton team's coach to be paid by the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (NCPFS, 體委會) appeared to fall on deaf ears yesterday, when the council sought to shift responsibility to the coach's employer.

"We have given him administrative support and provided him with NT$50,000 when he was in hospital in Brussels. It is up to Taipower, as his employer, to take care of him as it would an employee who has suffered an occupational injury," said Liu Shou-kuen (劉守焜), assistant director of the NCPFS international department.

But a Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, 台電) official disagreed.

"His hospitalization has nothing to do with the company or his career," Taipower spokesman Yang Shun-shih (楊順市) said.

PFP lawmaker Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國) made the request for the NCPFS to cover the fees at a press conference at the Legislative Yuan.

Hou Hsian-jer (侯賢哲), a Taipower employee and former coach of the national adult team, was hospitalized in Brussels in February after suffering a stroke after leading the team to victory in an international tournament.

According to Pang, Hou's family decided to bring him back to Taiwan on Apr. 21. However, they owed the hospital NT$1.2 million, which they cannot afford.

The Taipei Representative Office in Belgium vouched for the Hou family and guaranteed the hospital that the bill would be paid.

Pang said that Hou is now at the Taipei Municipal Jen Ai Hospital (仁愛醫院) in critical condition.

"Hou dedicated himself to Taiwan's badminton. However, he has been almost abandoned by his own government at a time when he is very sick," Pang said.

Chung Hsiu-luan (鍾秀鑾), Hou's wife, said that she has applied for funds from Hou's health insurance account to pay the Brussels hospital bill. But the Bureau of National Health Insurance (中央健保局) said that it cannot process the paperwork until the Hou family provides receipts proving that the fees have been paid.

Pang said the situation amounts to a catch-22.

"The point is, if you don't pay first, how are you supposed to get the receipt?" Pang said.

"What frustrated us was the attitude of Taipower and the NCPFS. I hope that they, especially the NCPFS, can do something to help Hou, which I believe won't be too difficult for our government offices. This man dedicated himself to the country. It's time for the country to do something for him," he added.