Confirming that former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has been diagnosed with cerebral atrophy, Taipei Veterans General Hospital superintendent Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) yesterday said it would be better to have caregivers look after Chen at home rather than in the hospital.
However, the Ministry of Justice still has to make an assessment and the final decision, Lin said.
Lin said Chen has been doing well after his hemorrhoid surgery on March 14.
“Chou Yuan-hua (周元華), the attending physician for Chen, has just returned to Taiwan today [Thursday]. We will wait for his medical team to complete and verify the report, which will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice on Friday,” Lin added.
Separately yesterday, a summary report by US-based neurologist Samuel Chou (周烒明) recommended that the best treatment for Chen is immediate home care.
The report follows a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam that Samuel Chou, a board member of the ALS & Neuromuscular Research Foundation in San Francisco with more than 40 years of experience in the field of neurology, conducted on Jan. 16 at the request of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s vice superintendent Chen Shun-sheng (陳順勝), a member of Chen’s voluntary civilian medical team.
The Taipei Times obtained an advance copy of the report ahead of its official release today.
The former president, who is serving a 20-year sentence for corruption, has been staying at Taipei Veterans General Hospital for treatment after suffering from various complications, including sleep apnea, severe depression, minor brain damage and suspected Parkinson’s Disease.
Concern over Chen Shui-bian’s human rights was raised in the report, as the former president has been subjected to continuous light exposure and sleep deprivation in prison for years. Samuel Chou said he concurred with Amnesty International Australia’s observation, which described the treatment as “cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment for any person.”
The detrimental treatment is the cause of the neurological abnormalities which “must be considered direct consequences of the prison conditions,” Samuel Chou said in his report, adding that Chen Shui-bian’s current condition has deteriorated in comparison with September last year and could be “irreversible” if no active measures are taken.
The best treatment for Chen Shui-bian is “immediate home care, with supervising medical professionals and management by rehabilitation specialists in a home environment surrounded by family and loved ones,” the report said.
A home environment will be important “in halting further deterioration” and in beginning “the slow and long process towards alleviating the symptoms,” it concluded.
The report found that Chen Shui-bian has been suffering from speech impediment, emotional disturbance, cerebellar defect, poor memory, cognitive disorders or early signs of dementia, among other symptoms.
Joseph Lin, a former professor at the University of California at Davis who began following Chen Shui-bian’s medical condition last year and provided the report, said the summary would be sent to Washington for the reference of a group of US lawmakers who have been monitoring the treatment and health condition of the former president.
The US representatives include Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Steve Chabot of Ohio, who met Lin last December and expressed his wish to meet with Chen Shui-bian on his next trip to Taiwan, Lin said, adding that Chabot would like to collect more information and assessments on Chen Shui-bian’s case.
US Representative Robert Andrews of New Jersey has also written a letter to the US Department of State expressing his concern over the prison conditions and medical care for Chen Shui-bian, said Lin, who is visiting Taiwan in a private capacity.
Lin, a Taiwanese-American, led a medical team of US-based experts on a trip to Taiwan in June last year and concluded that the former president’s confinement in prison was “unacceptable” and had affected his physical and mental health. The team later submitted its findings to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
Additional reporting by staff writer
SOVEREIGN NATION: The Chinese premier’s remarks about the CCP’s resolve to achieve unification sought to undermine the legitimacy of Taiwan, the MAC said Taiwan will never accept Beijing’s attempts to undermine its sovereignty, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its National Day celebrations in Beijing vowed to achieve unification with Taiwan. The CCP’s statement was not conducive to peaceful cross-strait relations, the council said. The event, hosted by the Chinese State Council, featured Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強), the other five CCP Politburo Standing Committee members and Vice President Wang Qishan (王岐山), as well as 500 guests from China and abroad. Taiwanese based in China also attended the ceremony, Xinhua news agency
The Kaohsiung District Court has ordered a man to pay a convenience store NT$600 (US$18.83) in compensation for using his own mug to refill a pot of tea eggs, ruling against the store manager’s NT$1 million claim. In May, during the peak of a domestic COVID-19 surge, a man surnamed Lee (李) added water from his mug to a pot of tea eggs after seeing it was nearly dry. A clerk stopped Lee, then discarded all 60 eggs in the pot, worth an estimated NT$600, after consulting with the manager, it said. The manager sued Lee, demanding NT$1 million for damage to the
Washington is evaluating a transfer of weapons systems requested by Taiwan, according to a copy of a report by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) that is to be submitted to lawmakers tomorrow. Asked whether the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile would be among the weapons systems, the ministry refused to comment, but said that it would not rule out announcing the specifics later this year. The ministry’s domestically sourced high-priority military investments include submarines, next-generation light frigates, rescue ships, advanced trainer jets and infantry fighting vehicles, the report said. Planned deals include F-16A and F-16B jet performance upgrades, navigation and targeting
DEFENSE-READY: The armament of the ‘Yushan’ allows for amphibious combat operations, the head of a firm involved in the ship’s construction said The navy yesterday took delivery of the first locally developed and built naval ship of more than 10,000 tonnes in a ceremony in Kaohsiung presided over by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The ROCS Yushan, an amphibious transport dock, was the result of a government-initiated indigenous shipbuilding project seeking to establish autonomy over national defense, Tsai said. She thanked CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台船), the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and the navy for their contributions. The military needs the best equipment to uphold peace and defend Taiwan as it faces military threats from China, Tsai said. The 153m long and 23m wide Yushan
RSS