The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would continue to use all possible channels to increase the nation’s chance of receiving an invitation to the WHO’s annual World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, including highlighting reports in the international media.
As of Friday, mainstream international media had published 134 articles about Taiwan’s bid to participate in this year’s WHA, which is to be held from May 21 to May 26, the ministry said in a statement, mentioning in particular the Yomiuri Shimbun in Japan and the Medical Journal of Australia.
Some of the articles were opinion pieces written by the nation’s overseas representatives, including one by Representative to the US Stanley Kao (高碩泰) published in the Washington Times on Thursday and one by Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) in Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun published on Friday.
To educate the international community on the nation’s medical achievements and National Health Insurance program, the ministry last month took 13 foreign journalists on a six-day tour of the healthcare system.
The government on April 2 launched an English-language Web site titled “Leave No One Behind” that highlights the nation’s dedication to global health, the ministry said, adding that it had recorded more than 82,000 hits as of Friday.
The ministry also mentioned a three-minute documentary titled A Perfect Pair (阿巒的作文課), which it produced and began distributing on March 31.
The video, which shows Taiwanese efforts to treat a Vietnamese girl with lymphedema, had been viewed more than 4.71 million times as of Friday and shared by several foreign government agencies, including the US Department of State, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and the German Institute Taipei, the ministry said.
In a bid to expand the reach of its messaging, the ministry has also printed WHA-themed stickers and bookmarks, and designed a special frame for Facebook profile pictures with the phrase: “Health for all, Taiwan can help.”
The ministry said it would carry on with its efforts.
Ministry officials have said that the likelihood of Taiwan receiving an invitation this year is even lower than last year, when it failed to receive an invitation for the first time since 2009 due to Chinese pressure.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese