When the superintendent of Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital, Wu Kang-wen (吳康文), was relieved of duty yesterday, nobody was feeling particularly sorry for him.
Wu, rumored to have hidden the fact of the SARS outbreak within the hospital, was widely considered responsible for the chaos at the facility.
Two nurses from Hoping have already died due to SARS and another's life is in danger.
Wu said in an interview yesterday, "I owe apologies to the medical staff who have contracted SARS."
"I did not know there were SARS cases in the hospital in mid-April. It was probably because our doctors did not find out about them," he said.
"I accept with calm the authorities' decision to relieve me of duty. I will also reflect on the public's criticism of my performance during the past few weeks.
"Although I am not a superintendent anymore, I am still a doctor and I will still share my experience with others to help in the battle against SARS," Wu said.
Staff at the hospital complained to the local media about Wu's conduct as the quarantine neared its end.
According to Chinese-language media reports, hospital staff said Hoping had been taking in SARS patients since mid-April and the administration knew about it. Staff were asked not to reveal the information to the media, according to the reports.
A report in Next magazine said hospital administrators deceived their own staff by saying there were no SARS patients in the hospital, meaning those caring for SARS patients did not take the necessary measures to protect themselves.
Tang Ssu-hu (唐四虎), the husband of deceased Hoping head nurse Chen Ching-chiu (陳靜秋), said, "if Hoping is going to turn into a SARS center, most medical staff will refuse to work under Wu again.
"When Wu scolds his staff, he can be way out [of line]," Tang said.
Tang also hinted at Wu practicing favoritism within the hospital.
Professor Yeh Chin-chuan (
Yeh is writing a report on the crisis at the hospital.
"Wu will need to be investigated. There must have been faults in his management," Yeh said.
According to the report in Next, Wu had run away from the hospital claiming he had a fever.
"He was in contact with the physical therapist who had contracted SARS, so fever or not, he had to be quarantined for 10 days," Yeh said.
The contact, however, was possibly the result of Wu's actions. According to media reports, after the hospital was shut down, Wu decided to transfer the therapist from Complex B to his office in Complex A to help, despite a strict policy of no exchange of personnel between the two complexes.
Wu denied the allegation, saying he had done this prior to the start of the no-exchange policy.
Wu, 63, is a graduate of China Medical College and obtained his medical degree in Japan.
In 1987, Wu got his first superintendent post at Taipei Municipal Chung Hsiao Hospital (
Wu was the superintendent of Taipei Municipal Jen Ai Hospital (
When Ma Ying-jeou (
Also see story:
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS