Anders Milton, president of the Swedish Red Cross, is slated to arrive in Taipei tomorrow for a four-day visit as part of Taiwan's effort to gain international backing for its WHO bid, sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
"It is our hope that he'll help us push for our WHO bid," a ministry official said.
During his visit, Milton is scheduled to meet with Department of Health acting head Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Tu Chou-seng (杜筑生) and ambassador-at-large Wu Yung-tung (吳運東), according to a ministry press release.
Wu serves as president of the Taiwan Medical Association as well as president of the Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania.
Milton will also visit his Taiwanese counterpart at the Red Cross, Chen Charng-ven (
The 54-year-old physician has been active in Swedish and international medical communities for many years.
From 1991 until this year, Milton was the secretary-general of the Swedish Medical Association, a grouping with a membership of 35, 000.
From 1995 to last year, Milton served as chairman of the Council of the World Medical Association, which represents more than 8 million physicians in around 80 countries.
In Geneva in May under the association's invitation, Secretary of US Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson expressed support for Taiwan's efforts to gain observer status at the World Health Assembly, the WHO's highest decision-making body.
Thompson said during the talk that the US would not shrink from taking a public stance on the controversial issue.
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