The nation's top health official said yesterday that a medical team at National Taiwan University Hospital is capable of treating three brothers suffering from a rare disorder called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).
Legal, Tax Issues
Department of Health Minister Chen Chien-jen (
Chiang said that Chang Ming-hui (
Chang had originally hoped to take only his eldest son, 13-year-old Po-chun (博鈞), to the US for treatment, but the phenomenal amount of donations has enabled them to also take the two younger brothers.
Chang's decision to seek treatment in the US also shows a distrust of domestic medical standards, she added.
Chen said that patients and their families have every right to choose medical treatment as they see fit, but added that it is necessary to set up a better system for regulating donations.
Family's Decision
Chen said that he will instruct the Bureau of National Health Insurance to contact the Chang family to inform them of the latest developments in medical care in Taiwan and to discuss the pros and cons of the issue, but "will respect the decisions of the family."
Meanwhile, Chang confirmed yesterday that the family will leave for the US on Jan. 19 and is expected to stay there for between six months and one year.
Chang, an official with the Kaohsiung City Government in charge of laws and regulations, said that the operations and post-surgery care will take between three and six months, with a further six months for follow-up treatment, and that they will decide upon the date of their return only after seeing the progress of the three brothers.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
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