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World Medical Association chief meets with Chen

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday received a high-ranking official from the World Medical Association (WMA), expressing hope that the WMA leader could help to facilitate Taiwan's membership in the international organization.

"I hope Taiwan's membership name in the World Medical Association could be changed to the Taiwan Medical Association' from [the current] `Chinese Medical Association Taipei," Chen said, while receiving the WMA's general-secretary, Delon Human, in the Presidential Office.

"It is very important and meaningful. I hope the [WMA] general-secretary can help in this regard," Chen added.

Founded in 1947, the WMA is an international organization representing physicians.

The organization says it has approximately 8 million members from more than 80 nations worldwide.

China is also a member of the organization, with its membership name the "Chinese Medical Association."

The president welcome Human despite the heavy rain yesterday brought on by the approaching Typhoon Aere.

Chen commended Human for bringing physicians from the organization here to promote the professional service of medical treatment, medical ethnics, human rights and medical education worldwide.

Human has held the general-secretary post since 1997.

Commenting that Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO) has become a loophole in global epidemic prevention, Chen said he hoped Human could help the nation to join the WHO within the next two years.

"The government is currently making efforts to push [Taiwan] to become an observer at WHO within the coming two years, but this is not the only goal with respect to the nation's WHO participation," Chen told Human, who hails from South Africa.

"Taiwan ultimately hopes to have an opportunity to make contributions to the health care system in the world community and cooperate with the European Union and advanced Western countries which have encountered problems on issues relating to medical treatment, health care and hygiene," Chen said.

For his part, Human said he had witnessed tragedies when South Africa was under an apartheid system, and therefore could identify with Taiwan's quest for social and international justice.

He also said he sympathized with Taiwan's curious predicament during SARS outbreak last year.

Aside from meeting the president, Human also met with Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), the Department of Health's director-general.

Noting that the nation should not be excluded from the WHO, Human said he would make efforts to help Taiwan obtain observer status in the world health body.
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