Hospital turns down Chao Chien-ming's request to return

National Taiwan University(NTU) Hospital yesterday voted down a request from Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), the indicted son-in-law of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), to return to his job as a doctor on the grounds that he had "seriously violated medical ethics."

Chao was suspended when he was indicted on insider-trading charges in July, charges that are still under judiciary review.

Chao yesterday filed an application with the hospital requesting reinstatement as an orthopedic surgeon.

The request was rejected by three votes on the hospital's Clinical Ethics Committee, Department of Orthopedics Surgery and finally by hospital management, which voted overwhelmingly against allowing Chao to return. The last vote was 57 versus one, with one abstention.

In a press release, the hospital said participants in the three meetings "unanimously agreed" that Chao's behavior was in severe violation of medical ethics and damaging to the hospital's reputation, thus rendering him "unfit to be an NTU Hospital doctor."

Honesty and integrity are part of the hospital's core values, it added.

The decision was sent to NTU president Lee Sze-tsen (李嗣涔), who expressed his support and admiration for the hospital's faculty and staff for making such a decision.

Lin Ho-hsiung, the hospital's spokesman, said once an official notice from the university has been received, the decision will be implemented.

Minister of the Department of Health Hou Sheng-mao (侯勝茂), who once served as director of the hospital's Department of Orthopedics Surgery, said that he respected the hospital's decision.