Following a decision by a major obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Taitung County in February to stop delivering babies, four doctors are now responsible for delivering all of the county’s babies.
The Chang Chung-ching Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic’s (張崇晉婦產科) decision has left only four of 16 obstetricians and gynecologists in the county available to deliver babies — two at the Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital and two at the Taitung Christian Hospital.
Taitung County saw 2,057 births in 2008, but the number fell below 1,500 for the first time last year as the county saw only 1,484 births, Taitung County Government statistics showed.
Of those births, 1,374 occurred at a hospital or clinic, Health Promotion Administration (HPA) statistics showed.
The Taitung Christian Hospital was responsible for 46 percent of deliveries and two doctors at the Chang Chung-ching Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic — Chang Chung-ching (張崇晉) and Wu Po-lin (吳博霖) — assisted in 449, or 33 percent.
Proportionally speaking, there are enough obstetricians and gynecologists in Taiwan for the entire population, Taitung Public Health Bureau Medical Affairs Section head Su Mei-chu (蘇美珠) said.
However, Taitung’s transportation is inconvenient and its birthrate has been decreasing by the year, Su said, adding that obstetrics and gynecology is a high-risk medical branch.
It is difficult to find obstetricians and gynecologists willing to deliver babies in Taitung, she said, adding that the county’s hospitals have long been hiring, but have received no applications.
HPA statistics showed that Chang and Wu were responsible for many deliveries in the county over the past few decades and the effect of the clinic’s decision has yet to be reflected in the data, Su said.
The bureau would invite all hospitals and clinics in the county with obstetrics and gynecology departments to enter into discussions and propose solutions before asking the Ministry of Health and Welfare for more doctors, Su said.
When the Chang Chung-ching Clinic in December last year in a notice said it was to stop delivering babies in February, it made him and his wife panic, a Taitung resident nicknamed A-wei (阿偉) said.
They had to get used to a new doctor and have for that reason decided not to have another child, he said.
People distrust the obstetrics and gynecology providers in the region, a resident of the county’s Guanshan Township (關山) surnamed Huang (黃) said, adding that women have become hesitant to have children.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS