Taipei Times: What is your assessment of Taiwan's World Health Assembly (WHA) bid this year?
Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁): I've actually been away from Taiwan for a period of time now, visiting Germany and the Czech Republic before arriving in Geneva. This has been a chance for me as the department's director-general to speak with the heads of health and foreign affairs from other nations about Taiwan's health problems.
There are more and more opportunities now for bilateral talks with health officials from other countries, and in the process we are able to make some breakthroughs in cooperation and build friendship.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
I think that the foundation for successful cooperation requires working on a number of different fronts. We can't just aim to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO) while neglecting to build good relationships.
[The WHO bid] this year was very tiring, but hard work has yielded results. We've seen some breakthroughs with regard to the WHA. For instance, the US and Japan stood up to support us. I had a good talk with [US Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy] Thompson.
And I know that if Japan or the US suffer any natural disasters or health emergencies, we can all help each other out. This is very important. For example, during the big earthquake in Hokkaido we sent an e-mail to see how we could help. And in the SARS case involving [military researcher] Lieutenant Colonel Chan, we gave them immediate updates on the situation.
This type of friendship facilitates interaction between nations. I was surprised when Tommy Thompson immediately agreed to a meeting with me before the WHA convened. In the past he had reservations, but this time he agreed immediately, not a problem. Before the assembly, we had a great chat, both of us joking and laughing. This shows that friendship between our two nations has been established.
In his letter [to WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook], Thompson wrote that Taiwan was a model in the fight against SARS. This put Taiwan in a good light and made a good impression on others. We were honest and transparent. So, [Thompson] knows, these are good people. And how can you not help good people?
This year at the WHA, one feeling I had was that at least we are honest and uphold principles of justice and humanity, and that these universal values will prevail in the assembly. You can see everyone agonizing over the exclusion of Taiwan, knowing it is incompatible with humanitarian values. So Japan, the EU, the US and Canada, all these powerful countries, felt the pressure of Taiwan's inability to participate in the WHO.
But in terms of the vote, the results were not as good as I anticipated. This shows that China has a very itchy trigger finger. As soon as talk of a vote was brought up, China knocked on doors all across Europe.
And when the EU said that it would vote against Taiwan, the EU said that it would make a statement afterwards. This goes to show that the EU is not very comfortable [with Taiwan's situation].
So Chinese aggression is one reason for the small number of votes we received this time. Still, Israel and the Philippines abstained. And some nations expressed their opinion by being absent during the vote.
If China really cares about the health of 23 million people, then they need to realize that inclusion of Taiwan is not a political maneuver on our part.
Human nature
I believe that the nature of human beings is good and that people can trust each other. And in the name of trust, China should understand the circumstances of the 23 million people in Taiwan. One million Taiwanese live in China. How can a health risk sit with a lack of cooperation? I regret very deeply that China still can't recognize our goodwill.
My personal feeling is that we should be more understanding of each other. Sit down and talk. Health issues require peaceful cross-strait discussion. When we express our goodwill, we usually use a smile or a welcoming expression, not just a political poker face. Where is the humanity? Where is the trust and compassion?
TT: As head of the department you had to engage in quite a bit of diplomatic work. How well did the health department interact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)?
Chen: If we want to participate in WHO initiatives, then the health department and MOFA need to join hands and cooperate. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
The work of the WHO is basically diplomacy plus health. So the health department had to put in a comprehensive effort to help.
As for me, I think my performance was alright. Some of the other health ministers know about the research I have done. I also attended as a professor, not as a doctor, which drew their curiosity. They thought it was interesting that I was an academic who had taken on a political post.
And, my [English] ability is okay as well, so overall I think it was enjoyable.
TT: What grade do you think your performance at the WHO deserves?
Chen: (laughing) I'd say I'd at least pass ... I was pretty lucky though. Before I left Taiwan, legislators from both parties visited several countries promoting our cause. They got a feeling of how other governments stood on the issue.
Consensus
Co-operation between political parties is very important. If there is national consensus, then we are able to back each other up and we can speak with more authority. We [government officials] are the puppets, putting on a show on behalf of the people, but real authority is with the people.
Planning ahead is also very important. Of course, the WHA vote gave us a lot of pressure as well. If no one voted for Taiwan, then we would all have had to go and jump off buildings. But gentle pressure is a real motivator for progress.
The decision to call for a vote applied gentle pressure on everyone this year, and it forced the MOFA and the health department to work together.
TT: What are your plans relating to international and cross-strait cooperation?
Chen: Using the Organic Law of the Department of Health (衛生署組織法), we plan to upgrade the section for international cooperation into a bureau. In the past, we had no people, no strength. We could only pull people from here and there. But now we can train people specifically in international affairs.
Also, we plan to give development assistance to Central America, especially Haiti. We hope to help Haiti together with the Council of Agriculture and MOFA. The Centers for Disease Control in the US want to establish an AIDS medical center and laboratory in Haiti, and they've asked Taiwan for support in establishing the center.
Taiwan has already contributed some resources to this region, so we hope that we can see this center get built. It would allow people to be tested for HIV-AIDS immediately and get results more quickly.
Taiwan has medical teams in Africa. The most successful example is that of Malawi, because we also have a medical center there. Our medical team there and the local doctors get along very well, and they invite us to all of their important conferences.
Advanced
The EU is the hardest region for Taiwan to penetrate. When I went to Germany and the Czech Republic, however, they were all very interested in the National Health Insurance scheme. When I spoke with German officials, they said our system was more advanced than theirs. Tommy Thompson asked if he could have a health insurance IC card. I'm going to send him his own IC card when I get back.
This is an affirmation of our health services. If China is interested in learning more about this, I think we would be happy to share our experiences with them.
We need to let Europe know that our bid for observer status is a request to proactively participate in all aspects of WHO work. This represents our goodwill, but it is also our global responsibility.
I hope that China can understand the efforts we've made and not continue to fall back on the "one China" policy. Taiwan is willing to be a good world citizen.
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