The Ministry of Health and Welfare is proposing a bill to establish a certificate system for public health inspectors, as part of its push to control environmental health and sanitation hazards.
According to the draft public health inspector bill that the ministry submitted to the Executive Yuan, public health inspectors are qualified to evaluate environmental health hazards in a community.
Their role includes identifying hazards such as airborne or waterborne contaminants, waste, or noise; investigating the cause of food poisoning cases and diseases; evaluating a community’s medical resource utilization; implementing procedures for disease prevention; and evaluating or enforcing food sanitation, the draft says.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
If the bill passes, the nearly 1,000 people in Taiwan with a public health-related degree would be qualified to take part in an examination to obtain a public health inspector certificate.
Public health inspectors are an emerging class of healthcare professionals with expertise in responding to epidemics, identifying pollution sources and other related tasks, National Taiwan University College of Public Health dean Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權) said.
While not healthcare providers, public health inspectors could supplement the work of environmental health professionals, he said, adding that inspectors should be authorized to establish practices and take on jobs in all of the nation’s administrative divisions.
The UK created a certificate program for public health inspectors in 2003, while the US has seen a surge in public health department enrollments following the Affordable Care Act’s passage in 2011, Chan said.
In Europe, academic institutions work with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region to issue relevant certificates, he added.
As a nation with a universal healthcare system, Taiwan needs the support of professionally trained experts for better public health outcomes, Chan said.
During the SARS outbreak in 2003, the government resorted to mobilizing hospital nurses and army troops to help contain the epidemic, he said, adding that these extraordinary methods must not become the standard response to public health crises.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost