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Feature: Dedicated doctors fight for WHO bid

Physician and president of the Medical Professional Alliance of Taiwan Wu Shuh-min (吳樹民) has made lobbying in Geneva for Taiwan's right to representation in the WHO a yearly mission over the past 10 years.

On Monday Taiwan lost its 11th bid to enter the health body after the World Health Assembly (WHA) voted to exclude the nation's application from its agenda during its annual session.

Yet for Wu and his fellow activists, the defeat has only increased their dedication to winning representation at the health body.

"I've been coming here every year for the past 10 years, but it feels like my first time, because the government finally made the right decision to apply for full membership," Wu said.

After 10 failed bids to obtain observer status at the WHA, the WHO's highest decision-making body, Taiwan adopted a new approach this year and applied for full membership in the WHO under the name of "Taiwan."

Civil efforts led by the alliance, which was formed in 1992 and initiated the campaign for Taiwan's admission to the WHO in 1995, have played a pivotal role in the long battle to obtain membership.

As a leading figure in the movement for de jure independence, Wu shared his joy over a growing consensus among the Taiwanese public and politicians to support the WHO bid.

"The public had little knowledge of the issue in 1997, but now more than 94 percent supported the bid. Eleven years is a long time, but it was worth it," he said.

In 1997, Wu led a small group of activists for the first time to campaign for Taiwan's WHO bid in Geneva, where the annual WHA session takes place each May. The scale of the civil movement has expanded each year as more concerned citizens joined to wave flags or hand out pamphlets along Lake Geneva and outside the UN building while the WHA is in session.

One of many loyal activists is obstetrician and gynecologist Chung Kun-ching (鐘坤井), who has flown to Geneva 10 times since the campaign began, missing only last year's WHA session to attend his son's wedding in London.

The decade-long campaign has cost Chung millions of NT dollars to make the annual Geneva trip, but has given him many unforgettable memories, including when he was caught by Geneva police two years while taking pictures during the WHA session.

The efforts even attracted the attention of Geneva's residents. A pianist at a local bar where civil groups hold "Taiwan night" each year after the WHA session has learned how to play Taiwanese folk songs such as Flower in the Rainy Night (雨夜花) after hearing the activists sing the song repeatedly, Chung said.

Lin Heng-li (林恆力), a dermatologist who has been coming to Geneva for the WHO campaign for the past six years, even convinced his wife -- who has not supported his yearly journey -- to join him for this year's campaign.

"I came to see what he is doing here and I was surprised to see so many crazy people like him devoting all their money and time to supporting this campaign," Lo Li-man (羅禮曼) said.

Lo is not the only one moved by the resoluteness of the activists. Legislators from all parties passed a resolution on May 11 to voice their support of the WHO bid.

"Diplomatic work can be lonely, at times, but with a strong consensus among the public and politicians this year, we feel confident and powerful to fight," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Tzu-pao (楊子葆) said in Geneva.

While Taiwan's WHO bid has won the resounding support of both the government and the public, Wu said the road to WHO membership was still long.

"We have to encourage and support each other, so that we can continue walking on the path, even if it takes another 11 years," he said.
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