The Taipei Hospital announced yesterday that as of Oct. 21, it had stopped providing Tamiflu prescriptions except in cases where avian flu is confirmed.
The clarification came after Taipei City Councilor Huang Shan-shan (
Huang said that last month alone, doctors at Taipei City Hospital had given out 30 Tamiflu prescriptions amounting to 1,414 tablets.
That averages out to 47 tablets per prescription, while the normal prescription for Tamiflu is 10 tablets, Huang said.
Asked whether such large prescriptions were "routine," the hospital's superintendent Huang Tsun-cheng (黃遵誠) said the hospital would have to examine the numbers itself before reaching any conclusions.
"This is just an average number," Huang Tsun-cheng said. "We need to clarify the details of each prescription and find out why medication was prescribed before we can comment further."
He also said the hospital will establish a special team to monitor Tamiflu prescriptions.
too much freedom?
Asked how such large amounts of Tamiflu could have been prescribed, Huang Tsun-cheng said that such decisions were left to doctors' discretion and that there had been more "flexibility" on such matters in the past.
He added that before last month there was little publicity regarding the limited supplies of Tamiflu.
At present there are 19,245 Tamiflu tablets stockpiled in the 30 Taipei hospitals that have been contracted to provide Tamiflu, with funding from the National Health Insurance Bureau.
These tablets are reserved for the protection of those on the frontline of the fight against bird flu, such as medical staff or those disposing of diseased chickens.
A health official said yesterday that doctors who wrongfully prescribe Tamiflu will be penalized, and may even have their licenses revoked.
Lin Hsiu-lin (
What, me Worry?
Meanwhile, Premier Frank Hsieh (
"We cannot lock everybody at home just because we are trying to prevent the outbreak of bird flu," the Premier said. "That is not right."
Hsieh made his remarks during the opening speech at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.
His remarks contradicted earlier statements on Oct. 27, when he "suggested" that some bird-related activities should be limited or banned.
"Preventing a bird flu outbreak has nothing to do with interfering in people's daily lives," Hsieh said. "They shouldn't be connected, either."
Hsieh said that the government should only ban activities in the name of fighting bird flu if absolutely necessary.
The Premier said that all bird-related activities, such as pigeon races and birdwatching, will be allowed to continue for now, since there is no sign of a bird flu outbreak.
"The government's responsibility is to keep diseases away, protect its people's rights and make sure their lives are not disturbed," Hsieh said.
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