A cross-agency task force will be established to combat counterfeit drugs and medical products sold via underground radio stations, the Internet and night markets, the Executive Yuan and the Department of Health announced yesterday.
Premier Wu Dun-yih (吳敦義) told a briefing that he expects the taskforce to turn in a weekly report updating him on the progress of its efforts, starting next month.
The department said Taiwanese spend more than NT$30 billion (US$940 million) each year on dialysis or related treatments for renal failure caused mostly by counterfeit drugs purchased via underground radio stations, the Internet, street vendors, night markets, tour buses, sex-toy shops and some pharmacies.
“These unethical vendors make profits from selling fake drugs. Such behavior not only puts the public’s health at risk, it also further strains the national health insurance system,” Wu said.
Food and Drug Administration Director Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲) said vendors often take advantage of trusting buyers by exaggerating the efficacy of drugs and selling them at a low price.
The products range from hypertension drugs to skin rash ointments, the report said.
The task force will be made up of personnel from the National Police Administration, the Ministry of Justice, Coast Guard Administration, National Immigration Agency, the National Communications Committee and the health department.
Kang said the department set up its own mechanism to crack down on fake drug vendors, with less than ideal results.
Last year, only 102 cases were brought before courts and 283 manufacturers fined. The total fines collected totaled NT$110 million, he said, adding that in accordance with Wu’s request, the health department will push for an amendment to include harsher punishment for violators within three months.
The department held another public hearing yesterday about setting up special medical services zones catering solely to foreign patients. No consensus was reached during the four-hour meeting.
Health officials said the scheme could be profitable, but the Taiwan Healthcare Reform Foundation worried that the rights of low-income patients might suffer as doctors would prefer to see high-paying patients.
Deputy Minister of the Department of Health Chen Tzay-jinn (陳再晉) said last year foreign patients accounted for only 0.33 percent of patients treated, indicating that it would be possible to set up a special medical services zone without interfering with the access of local patients to healthcare.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS