Taipei to crack down on fake medical practitioners

The Taipei City Department of Health announced at a press conference yesterday that it was joining with police and prosecutors to fight against traditional medical remedies provided by unlicensed practitioners.

To bolster the health department's case, "Ms. S," 50, who declined to give her full name, told of the pitfalls of visiting such medical practitioners.

"Ms. S" began visiting an unlicensed medical practitioner and taking Chinese medicine to improve her health eight years ago, but found herself addicted and seriously depressed instead.

The Chinese medicine cost NT$5,000 per bottle, she said, and she spent NT$3 million on it over the eight years.

The powder was found to contain controlled drugs such as ephedrine. As a result, the practitioner, Huang Fu-hsin (黃福新), was brought before prosecutors after the Taipei City Police Department searched his house on Thursday.

"Although folk remedies still thrive in some areas, seeking alternative treatments from unlicensed doctors is risking your health," Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美), director of the Food and Drug Division under the Taipei health department, said yesterday at Taipei City Council.

Accompanied Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Ouyang Lung (歐陽龍), "Ms. S" said Huang's folk remedies attracted many patients.

She also said that he attempted to elevate his credibility by hanging various certificates on his walls.

"I am well-educated, but he still managed to fool me with all those certificates and recommendations from his other patients," she said.

Taking case of "Ms. S" as an example, Ou said there could be people who are unaware of the harm caused by medications provided by unlicensed practitioners.

"The department should make a greater effort to monitor folk treatments and clamp down on unlicensed doctors. We don't want to see more people suffering like `Ms. S,'" he said.

Chiang although Huang's behavior obviously violated the Physicians Law (醫師法), it would be difficult for the department to fight against unlicensed practitioners because they typically provide their services at private residences, which the Taipei health department has no authority to search without a warrant.

By a crime-fighting network with the police department, Chiang said the alliance would improve its monitoring of medical care for Taipei citizens.

Lu Shih-chi (呂世志), chief of Criminal Investigation Division under the Taipei police department, pledged to assist the health department and called on the public to report cases of unlicensed medical treatments.

The hotline for reporting unlicensed practitioners is 02-2728-7093.