The Control Yuan has decided to impeach Ko Wen-che (柯文哲), the former head of National Taiwan University Hospital’s organ transplant task force, because the hospital used HIV-infected organs in four transplants last year. The Control Yuan passed a motion submitted by members Teresa Yin (尹祚芊) and Li Ful-dien (李復甸) to impeach Ko for dereliction of duty by an 8-2 vote, but it remains unclear if the move will have any tangible effect on Ko’s job.
“It doesn’t matter,” Ko said in response to the Control Yuan’s ruling.
The hospital accidentally transplanted HIV-positive organs from a Hsinchu man into four patients in August last year. A fifth organ from the man was used in an organ transplant at National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Tainan.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
As a doctor at a public hospital, Ko is subject to oversight by the Control Yuan, the government branch responsible for investigating and censuring irregular or illicit behavior by public servants and government agencies. The report said Ko neglected his duties by entrusting staff and organ donation coordinators who were not doctors with the responsibility of writing physician orders and interpreting examination reports, which violated the Physicians Act ( 醫師法). Ko neglected to review the organ donation examination results and did not follow the hospital’s normal specimen test regulations, the report added.
The Control Yuan also held Ko responsible for neglecting the training, supervision and evaluation of organ donation coordinators and for authorizing less-experienced coordinators to help with preparations before the transplant operations.
The physician’s negligence not only seriously damaged the health of organ recipients and medical staff engaged in the operations, it also greatly damaged the hospital’s reputation and Taiwan’s image, the report said.
Hospital spokesman Tan Ching-ting (譚慶鼎) said the hospital would respond after it had received and reviewed the report.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS