First lady Wu Shu-jen's (吳淑珍) condition remained unstable as her blood pressure continued to fluctuate after being rushed to National Taiwan University Hospital a day earlier, hospital spokesman Lin Ho-hsiung (林鶴雄) said yesterday.
"Her blood pressure has been fluctuating, and her body temperature is still relatively low, so she needs to stay in hospital," Lin said.
Wu's body temperature was slightly lower than normal in the morning, and was recorded at 36oC, Lin said.
Lin added that a team of doctors in charge of Wu's care advised that the first lady stay in hospital for a longer period of time, owing to her long-term suffering from malnutrition and spinal injuries.
Wu was indicted on Nov. 3 on charges of corruption and forgery in a scandal involving the "state affairs fund" budgeted for the president's discretionary use.
Wu almost collapsed during a short recess in the court proceedings on Friday morning, and was carried out of the Taipei District Court building and into an ambulance, which ferried her to the hospital.
Lin yesterday also rebutted remarks made by some opposition lawmakers, who said that Wu pretended to be ill to avoid the trial proceedings. Lin stressed that Wu was indeed in bad shape.
Wu's recent legal woes have been compounded by her poor health in recent years.
Wheelchair-bound since she was ran over by a truck and sustained spinal injuries in 1985, Wu has recently suffered from bouts of low-blood pressure and malnutrition, resulting in a drastic weight loss and frequent hospital visits.
Lin said Wu's blood pressure was recorded yesterday morning at 69mm Hg systolic pressure and 36mm Hg diastolic pressure, while her pulse measured 54 beats per minute.
The medical team responsible for Wu's treatment said it was necessary for the first lady to continue staying in the hospital for further observation.
The court has scheduled its second session in the case for Friday, but Lin said it was too early to tell whether Wu would be fit enough to attend court.
also see stories:
TSU caucus slams judges' treatment of first lady Wu
Editorial: Chen is a target in Wu trial
WHAT WAS ALL THAT FOR? Jaw Shaw-kong said that Cheng Li-wen had pushed for more drastic cuts and attacked him, just for the outcome to be nearly identical to his bill The legislature yesterday passed a supplementary budget bill to fund the purchase of separate packages of US military equipment, with the combined amount of spending capped at NT$780 billion (US$24.8 billion). The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their legislative majority to pass the bill, which runs until 2033 and has two main funding provisions. One was for NT$300 billion of arms sales already approved by the US for Taiwan on Dec. 17 last year, the other was for NT$480 billion for another arms package expected to be announced by Washington. The bill, which fell short of the NT$1.25
Taiwanese shares yesterday posted a record daily gain of more than 1,700 points to close above 40,000 points for the first time, led by large-cap semiconductor stocks such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) amid optimism about the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The TAIEX ended up 1,778.51 points, or 4.57 percent, at 40,705.14 after moving between 39,228.39 and 40,755.52, while the New Taiwan dollar closed up NT$0.038 at NT$31.610 per US dollar, ending three consecutive sessions of declines. Turnover on the main board totaled NT$1.007 trillion (US$31.9 billion), with foreign institutional investors buying a net NT$66.98 billion
A former television news host and six military personnel — active and retired — have been indicted on espionage charges, Kaohsiung prosecutors said yesterday. Lin Chen-you (林宸佑), a former CTi News host and YouTuber, last year allegedly made videos at the direction of a Chinese agent criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party’s recall campaign, the Ciaotou District Prosecutors’ Office told a news conference in Kaohsiung. He allegedly received 4,325 tether coins for the videos from an unidentified person surnamed Huang (黃), believed to be an agent of a hostile foreign power, they said. Lin, also known as Ma Te (馬德), has a show named
NON-INTERFERENCE: The US called Taiwan a trusted and capable partner, while an African Union leader urged nations to reflect on respect for sovereign choices Taiwan is a “trusted and capable” partner of the US and Taipei’s global relationships, including with Eswatini, provide significant benefits, the US Department of State said of President William Lai’s (賴清德) trip to the southern African kingdom. Lai arrived in the former Swaziland on Saturday on a surprise visit after a planned trip last month was canceled when Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar denied overflight permission for his aircraft due to Chinese pressure. “Taiwan is a trusted and capable partner of the United States and many others, and its relationships around the world provide significant benefits to the citizens of those countries,
RSS