Doctors and former public health officials called on medical professionals yesterday to volunteer their services in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) nationwide.
Making the call were former National Taiwan University Hospital superintendent Hsieh Bor-shen (謝博生), former Department of Health chief Lee Ming-liang (李明亮) and former deputy chief Huang Fu-yuan (黃富源). All three are physicians.
Invoking the names of legendary medical workers such as Florence Nightingale and Albert Schweitzer, they reminded doctors and nurses not to forget the purpose and ethics of their profession.
The appeal came in the wake of reports that some medical workers are refusing to attend to SARS patients in quarantined areas.
Lee also called on the public not to panic as the death rate from SARS is only around 3 percent.
Hospitals are facing a shortage of staff as quarantine measures are imposed on contaminated areas and the number of people under home quarantine continues to rise, they said.
Doctors and nurses, especially those trained in epidemiology and thoracic medicine, are needed to take care of SARS patients, they said, adding that medics trained in epidemic control are also needed.
Yen Mu-yung (顏慕庸), director of the emergency ward at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, said he hoped to see a surge in volunteers similar to what happened after the 921 earthquake.
The Infectious Diseases Society and the Taiwan Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation are jointly holding one-day training courses for volunteers who wish to help hospitals and other medical centers cope with the outbreak.
Meanwhile, Taipei Deputy Mayor Ou Chin-der (
The Taipei City Government has set up a hotline for inquiries regarding volunteering at the hospital. The numbers are: 02-2722-6437 and 02-2722-6497. Volunteers may also call 02-2552-6520, extension 204.
By the end of Saturday, Ou said, the hospital had reported 75 SARS cases, including 17 probable cases, seven suspected cases, and 51 cases pending identification. This brought the total reported cases in the city to 205, with 26 probably cases, 15 suspected cases and 52 cases pending.
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