Taipei City Hospital yesterday acknowledged flaws in the regulations of its human milk bank after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors lashed out at the hospital for rejecting the donation of breast milk from a woman from Cambodia. The hospital promised to consider revoking restrictions on donor nationality.
The city hospital established the nation’s first public human milk bank in December 2004 to provide breast milk to infants born prematurely or who have infectious diseases.
Earlier this month, a foreign woman from Cambodia planned to donate breast milk to the bank, but hospital staff rejected her donation and said the bank only accepted milk from those born in Taiwan.
“The human milk bank follows strict screening procedures to assure the health of potential donors, but not accepting milk donations from those with other nationalities is clearly racial discrimination,” DPP Taipei City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) told a press conference yesterday.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Liang Wen-jie (梁文傑) joined Wu in questioning the city hospital’s regulations on breast milk donors, and demanded the hospital lift the restrictions on donor nationality.
The hospital’s milk bank requires donors to fill out a form detailing personal information and physical conditions. The hospital then conducts assessments on donors’ health and tests their blood samples, according to the hospital.
“Foreigners can donate blood in Taiwan so why can’t they donate breast milk? Are infants only allowed to drink milk that is made in Taiwan?” Liang said.
Fang Li-jung (方麗容), chief of the city hospital’s pediatrics department, yesterday denied any wilful attempt at racial discrimination by excluding foreigners from donating breast milk, and said limited experience in running a human milk bank and the language barrier had been the real factors behind the ban.
“The standard screening procedures for breast milk are complicated, and due to our limited experience in running a human milk bank back in 2004, we decided to limit eligible donors to Taiwanese nationals,” she said.
Because the human milk bank has now been in place for seven years, Fang said the city hospital will propose revoking the ban on foreigners donating breast milk in July during its regular meeting with experts and was likely to allow foreigners to make donations upon receiving approval in the meeting.
The human milk bank is the only government-sponsored milk bank in Taiwan and has collected more than 11,091 liters of breast milk since its foundation eight years ago.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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