A 33-year-old nurse surnamed Lee (李) is suing the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Lujhu Township (蘆竹) Representative Wang Kui-fen (王貴芬) for assault after Wang allegedly slapped her twice in the hospital on Tuesday for not updating Wang in a telephone conversation about the condition of Wang’s father, a patient at the hospital.
The Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou (林口), New Taipei City (新北市) yesterday held a press conference, attended by deputy superintendent Huang Ching-lung (黃景隆) and head nurse Lee Yu-chin (李玉琴), to explain the details of the incident and issue a condemnation of the alleged assault.
The hospital’s nursing department head Chu Tsung-lan (朱宗藍) said a hospital is a place to care for the sick and the hospital will not condone any sort of violence, adding that the alleged victim’s decision to report the incident to the police should be a lesson to all members of the public to refrain from perpetrating violence in hospitals.
Photo: Cheng Shu-ting, Taipei Times
The hospital said it had arranged for the nurse involved to take some time off work and consult a personal psychiatrist.
The hospital added that it also started a signature drive against violence in hospitals. The petition — posted on a bulletin board in the hospital — was filled with signatures within 10 minutes, the hospital said, adding that it, along with other medical staff in Taipei, will continue the signature drive.
Meanwhile, netizens condemned Wang’s alleged actions, saying that they were unbecoming because of her position in society — being the author of People First Party Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) late wife Chen Wan-shui’s (陳萬水) biography and also one of the party’s candidates for Taoyuan County Commissioner.
Separately yesterday, in response to media queries, Wang admitted that she had “reached out” and touched Lee’s mask, but refused to elaborate, on the grounds of the case being sub judice.
Additional reporting by Hsueh Han-chun and Chiu Yi-tung
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