With a reputation of being an “anti-SARS hero,” newly appointed Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) is recognized for his academic background, expertise and professional experience. But lawmakers have urged Yeh not to let his political views get in the way of his job.
On Sept. 26, Yeh took over as the new health minister after Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) stepped down to take responsibility for the government’s slow reaction to and inconsistent management of the melamine scare.
Although Yeh is new to the position, he is not a new face at the Department of Health (DOH).
Twenty years ago, with an academic background in the field of medicine and public health from top notch institutions such as National Taiwan University and the Harvard School of Public Health, Yeh was appointed director-general of the Bureau of Medical Affairs.
When he was deputy health minister more than 10 years ago, he resigned to take a lower ranking position as Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) director-general in order to establish Taiwan’s national health insurance, a much-criticized policy at the time.
Today, the national health insurance system in Taiwan is one of the models the US studies, with approval ratings of about 80 percent, a survey by the bureau last year shows.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), who was health minister from 2002 to 2003, told the Taipei Times in a telephone interview yesterday that he believed “among Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] candidates, Yeh is the best fit [for the position].”
Twu said that one of the qualities that makes a good health minister is public health expertise, which Yeh possesses from his experience at the BNHI.
He also praised Yeh for his strong leadership and communication skills.
Another quality a good health minister should possess is sensitivity to political issues, Twu said.
“Compared with Lin Fang-yue, [Yeh] is certainly [more sensitive to politics],” he said.
However, one of the areas in which Yeh needs to improve on is “resisting political intervention,” Twu said.
“[Yeh] is very close to [President] Ma Ying-jeou ... So I hope he will be able to influence Ma and not just follow whatever [Ma] says, or else the milk scandal situation will recur,” Twu said.
“If China does something wrong, we should condemn China,” Twu said, referring to the tainted milk powder scandal. “Politics should not be brought into [health-related matters], although political intervention always occurs.”
Twu said Yeh should use the milk scandal as proof that Taiwan can contribute to as well as benefit from international organizations such as the World Health Organization, whether in areas of disease control or food safety.
“We should not rely solely on China, because infectious diseases do not just affect China,” Twu said.
In 2003, Yeh volunteered to enter the Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital — quarantined at the time for two weeks — to help control the outbreak of SARS.
His crisis management skills have earned him recognition among government officials and lawmakers.
“From the way he handled the SARS crisis, I know he is a clear-headed person,” said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文), who added that Yeh possessed the qualities of a good health minister.
“[Yeh] knows that [Lin] stepped down because of poor communication with the public,” Chang said.
“When [Yeh] took over, he announced international standards and detection limits [of the testing instruments] ... in order to assuage people’s concerns,” he said.
Chang said that even though the government did not have experience with melamine-contaminated food before the incident, he urged Yeh to lead the department in setting up standard procedures to better cope with similar crises in the future.
“Whatever problems come his way, [Yeh] always manages to face them with a smile,” Chang said.
Yeh’s smiling in the face of adversity has also sparked anger among some DPP legislators.
“In view of recent events, I think he is trying to use a humorous attitude to interact with the media, but I think he takes the serious issue [of tainted milk powder] too lightly,” said DPP Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英), who sits on the Health, Environment and Labor Committee.
Huang said that although Yeh possessed enough expertise and professional experience for the job, he was a “political puppet.”
Huang urged Yeh to “serve the people” as opposed to his own narrow political interests.
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