The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus called on the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday to revoke a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator's license to practice medicine on the grounds that he violated both the law and medical ethics by publicizing a patient's medical records.
DPP Legislator Peter Lin (
PROFESSIONAL OPINION
Based on his professional knowledge, Lin told reporters that Hu's medical record indicated that the mayor's chances of having a stroke were 30 times that of a healthy person.
With the endorsement of the other doctors, Lin then suggested that Hu should withdraw from Saturday's elections.
Lin told reporters that he was revealing Hu's medical history in an effort to persuade voters not to "be fooled" into re-electing the mayor.
The DPP legislator did not say how he obtained Hu's medical record, nor was he able to certify that the record was actually Hu's file.
KMT ANGRY
At a press conference in the legislature yesterday, KMT legislators said Lin had clearly violated Article 23 and Article 25 of the Doctor's Law (
KMT caucus whip Pan Wei-kang (
The lawmakers threatened to block the department's budget for the next fiscal year if it failed to take action against the 13 physicians.
DPP REACTION
DPP caucus whip William Lai (
Lai, however, said it should be up to the judiciary and medical authorities to determine whether Lin has broken the law.
LIN'S DEFENSE
Lin defended his actions yesterday, saying that he didn't think he had violated the law or done anything that would warrant him losing his license since Hu is not his patient.
He urged the public to focus more on who had leaked the report in the first place than on the doctors' actions.
Lin also dismissed speculation that the medical record released at the press conference was a fake, saying it was a real record from the Taichung Veterans General Hospital.
DOCTORS SUE NEWSPAPER
Eleven of the doctors who joined Lin at Tuesday's press conference filed lawsuits against the Apple Daily yesterday for defamation and public insult, requesting NT$100 million (US$2.98 million) in compensation. They were angered by the daily calling their act "audacious."
Dr. Gao Chia-chun (
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
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