Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (
"No matter what had happened during the extraction process, I have to apologize to the boy and his parents. I offer my most sincere apology," Tang said.
He said the hospital, which is under the supervision of the Ministry of National Defense, has invited medical professionals to investigate whether there was any malfeasance during the oral surgery on Yang Chih-yao (楊智堯).
"The most important thing now is to save the boy's life at any cost," Tang said.
Tang also tried to boost the morale of the hospital's staff by encouraging them not to lose heart because of the incident.
The hospital's superintendent, Major General Chen Hung-yi (陳宏一), has also apologized to the boy's parents.
He said the vice superintendent of the hospital was in negotiations with the parents yesterday.
Dentist Yiang Giien-yu (
DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) held a press conference on Wednesday and invited Yang's parents and hospital staff involved in the surgery to talk about what happened.
Yang's mother, Huang Li-ching (
"After that he never moved again," Huang said.
"His eyes are still open. He seems to be saying to me, `Mom, I don't want to be like this,'" a tearful Huang said.
The anesthetist, Shen Jeng-tieng (沈振庭), said he had warned Yang's father, Yang Wen-chi (楊文吉), of the risk that anesthesia could cause an infection during the surgery.
Shen said Yang Wen-chi still gave his consent for the surgery, a remark the father quickly refuted.
"No doctor advised against the surgery. Shen is telling lies," Yang said.
Yang Wen-chi said one day before the scheduled surgery, Yiang told him that his son could be discharged from the hospital three days after the surgery.
"I am not an executioner. I am my son's father. How could I possibly allow my child to run such a big risk?" Yang Wen-chi asked.
"The doctors are trying to wash their hands of responsibility. They want me to take responsibility for my son's situation," he said.
According to the hospital, the boy's condition began to deteriorate after extubation -- the removal of a tube.
Yang Wen-chi accused Yiang of negligence, adding only one dentist, surnamed Liao, was present at the time.
"When my son's situation started to worsen, I waited anxiously in his ward for other doctors' help in trying to understand what was happening," Yang Wen-chi said.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
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Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition