Re-elected Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (
Hu, who looked quite healthy despite reports that he suffered a stroke on a trip to the US in August 2002, made the remarks when asked to comment on the penalties meted out to the 12 doctors by the Medical Doctor Disciplinary Committee under the Taichung City Government's health authorities on Wednesday.
One of the doctors -- Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Peter Lin (林進興), who played a leading role in disclosing what he claimed were Hu's medical records at a news conference in Taichung -- received the harshest punishment, with his licence to practice medicine suspended for one year.
Another was banned from practicing medicine for one month and ordered to attend 32 hours of classes on medical ethics. The others were given warnings and must attend mandatory classes on medical ethics totalling between eight and 24 hours.
Hu, of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), said he respects the rulings by the city government's health authorities, adding that he had not interfered in their decisions in any way.
Hu said that the outcome is not yet final, because health authorities at a higher level might still have a say on the issue. He said he will not rule out any possibility, and will wait for the final result before deciding whether it is necessary to sue the 12 doctors.
Meanwhile, the KMT legislative caucus urged Lin to withdraw from the legislature's Sanitation, Environment and Social Welfare Committee to avoid a conflict of interest.
Caucus whips noted that Lin has another case pending against him. In October the Bureau of National Health Insurance said that his hospital used forged records of overnight patients to get reimbursements from the bureau.
Asked to comment on the dispute over the ruling by Taichung's health authorities, a spokesman for the Department of Health (DOH) said Kaohsiung City's health authority will have to either enforce the ruling or hold a hearing of its own to let Lin defend himself.
The spokesman also said that Lin can appeal to the DOH's disciplinary committee within 20 days. If the DOH upholds the ruling, he will be banned from practicing medicine for one year.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
RSS