Taiwan will launch its ninth bid to join the World Health Organization (WHO) despite China's opposition, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Addressing participants at a seminar held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in fields related to health and medicine might take part in international affairs, Chen noted the country has made remarkable progress in its WHO bid despite setbacks encountered over the past eight years.
"The US and Japan openly supported us in the World Health Assembly (WHA) last year ? The ministry will instruct the country's overseas representative offices to solicit support for our application for observer status at the WHA," the minister said.
Taiwan, with its strong trade and sound democracy, has limited activity space in the international community because of the oppression of China, which "attempts to snatch away all of Taiwan's diplomatic allies," Chen said.
Taiwan, nevertheless, has dutifully done its part to contribute to international health, he added.
The president of the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan, Wu Shuh-min (吳樹民), who traveled to Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Denmark earlier this month to lobby for the Nordic countries' support for Taiwan's WHO bid, said the Taiwanese people's health rights and the country's "health security" were among the key issues he discussed with foreign officials.
Last year, the US, Japan and 23 of Taiwan's diplomatic allies voted for the inclusion of Taiwan on the assembly's agenda, while 133 countries voted against it.
"We have not decided whether to pursue a vote this year. Nothing is set in stone yet," said John Chen (
In January, the Executive Board of the WHO discussed a proposed format change of the WHA, a move seen as the UN body's intention to avoid lengthy debates on Taiwan's participation in the assembly.
In previous years, the debates have taken place on the opening day of the assembly and have usually lasted for hours.
The board, however, did not reach a consensus on the format change.
Therefore, John Chen said, it is still possible that debates on Taiwan's participation will happen on the first day of the assembly, which will take place in Geneva from May 16 to 25.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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