Denials by New Taipei City’s Hung Jen Hospital to allegations that it gave empty barrels that had contained dialysis fluids to Lu Chia Foods Co (盧佳食品公司) to use as containers for xiancao (仙草) tea were cut short yesterday when New Taipei City’s Environmental Protection Bureau and Department of Health provided evidence backing the allegation.
Lu Chia Foods is being jointly investigated by the agencies for allegedly using lime in the production of its famed xiancao and douhua (豆花, tofu pudding), and storing their products in the barrels.
The Sanchong District (三重) hospital yesterday admitted that some employees had sold the barrels in private.
Preliminary investigations showed the practice of selling barrels used to store dialysis fluids by hospital employees for NT$7 to NT10 per barrel had been going on for at least three to five years, the bureau said.
The bureau said the hospital had initially provided misleading information.
The bureau fined the hospital NT$90,000 (US$2,946) for violating the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), adding that it had passed the case on to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for further investigation.
If found guilty, the perpetrators could be given prison sentences of up to three years and fined NT$1.5 million, the bureau added.
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