Authorities at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland yesterday defended themselves against growing concerns over the competence of medical students returning from Poland, while parents of students studying in Poland complained about the government’s plans to tighten controls on practicing medicine in Taiwan.
At a press conference in Taipei, Poznan University vice president Grzegorz Oszkinis said the 90-year-old school established its English-language program for international students in 1993 based on the US’ medical curriculum and the requirements of the WHO and the US Medical Licensing Examination.
The school has roughly 1,000 international students, the majority of whom come from the US and Canada, while an average of 50 Taiwanese students attend the school every year, he said.
Oszkinis said the school only accepted between 20 percent and 25 percent of applicants and had not prepared special programs for Taiwanese students.
“We were astonished and shocked when we came to Taiwan when we heard that Taiwanese media had started to say that our level of education is too low, especially for Taiwanese students,” Oszkinis said.
Oszkinis argued that the university only had a 70 percent graduation rate and had established strict regulations to ensure the competence of its students.
Showing reporters copies of the evaluation of medical schools in Poland by the Polish authorities last year, Oszkinis said the school usually topped the evaluation list.
“Our graduates are able to work anywhere in Europe ... it’s funny if someone asks us about our recognition,” he said. “We do not agree that our education is at a lower level than your universities.”
The school’s press conference came after local media began to debate whether students who studied medicine in Poland should be allowed to practice medicine in Taiwan.
A number of medical students in Taiwan recently launched an online campaign, questioning the quality of medical education in Poland.
An article posted on the campaign’s Web blog (nopopo.blogspot.com) alleged that any student could study medicine in Poland without having to go through a screening process. The article said that students in Poland lived an easy life, while medical students in Taiwan worked hard.
Hsu Hung-yang (徐鴻洋), a board member of the Taoyuan Medical Association whose son is studying medicine at the university in Poland, said many Taiwanese students studying in Poland may be forced to suspend their education because of a proposed amendment to the law by the Department of Health.
Local media have reported that the Department of Health intends to amend Article 4 of the Physician’s Act (醫師法) so that those who attend medical school in a foreign country would have to complete an internship at a Taiwanese hospital, pass national exams and pass a separate verification of their foreign degrees before practicing in Taiwan.
The health department said yesterday that details of the draft amendment were still under discussion and that if medical students were worried that the proposed tests of their academic qualifications were too strict, the department could discuss the issue with the Ministry of Education.
In response to requests from parents that a cut off date be set so that students who have already graduated from overseas schools be allowed to start practicing in Taiwan without having to take the test, health spokesperson Wang Che-chao (王哲超) said that since the amendment was still under discussion, differing opinions would be taken into consideration.
Wang also said the purpose of the amendment was to set clear legal requirements to determine the academic qualifications of graduates who studied overseas and that the internship in Taiwan was to guarantee that their training was equivalent to the training at domestic medical schools.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost