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.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the