Mon, May 17, 2010 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • STAFF WRITER, WITH AGENCIES
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  ■ CRIME

  Domestic violence increases

  There was a sharp increase in the number of cases of domestic violence reported to the police in the first quarter of this year, Ministry of the Interior statistics show. A total of 22,940 cases were recorded during the period, a 20.8 percent year-on-year increase. About 59 percent of the cases or 13,480, involved couples that were either married or cohabiting. This was followed by juvenile abuse, with 18 percent or 4,130 cases and abuse of seniors, with 3.4 percent or 770 cases. More than 76 percent (22,200) of the victims were female, with those in the 30 to 50 age bracket most at risk, accounting for 9,600 cases. About 20,700 assailants were involved, nearly 82 percent of them male. The ministry attributed the rapid increase in the number of domestic violence cases to unstable family relationships subject to increased social and economic pressure as well as a change in traditional beliefs that frown on revealing family conflicts.

  ■ DIPLOMACY

  Taiwan attends WHA

  Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) toured the Palais des Nations on Saturday after arriving in Geneva, where he will attend the annual WHO meeting. This is the second consecutive year Taiwan has been invited to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer. The WHA opens today and runs through Saturday. Just as last year, Taiwan’s delegation will be seated in the last row of seats, along with associate members Puerto Rico, the Tokelau Islands and observers. Yang is scheduled to deliver a five-minute speech at the WHA plenary session tomorrow.

  ■ HEALTH

  Lack of recognition cited

  A group of multiple sclerosis (MS) patient advocates yesterday urged the government to address the fact that many MS patients are not recognized by the national health insurance system. Angelina Lei (雷蕾), the executive director of the Multiple Sclerosis Association, said Taiwan has an estimated 1,500 MS patients but due to strict standards imposed by the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI), only about 950 of them are recognized. Lei said that people must have at least two episodes before the bureau issues them a “catastrophic illness card,” entitling patients to apply for a disability certificate. “The problem is that about 2 percent of MS patients become fully paralyzed after the first episode. Some others do not experience another episode for many years because they are on a strict medication regimen,” Lei said. Other patients have gone unrecognized because when the BNHI upgraded to the current IC card system their medical histories were not entered into the database, she said.

  ■ CROSS-STRAIT TIES

  Biotech group to visit

  A Chinese delegation will attend a conference on biotechnology and medical equipment in Taipei next week. Johnsee Lee (李鍾熙), chairman of the Development Center for Biotechnology, said He Luli (何魯麗), former vice chairwoman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, will lead the 100-member delegation attending the two-day conference that opens May 25. It will be the highest-level medical exchange ever, Lee said, with representatives from several health ministries and agencies. “Taiwan’s bottleneck in developing its biotech industry is its limited market and the Chinese market can serve as a platform for Taiwan’s biotech sector to make inroads into the international market,” Lee said.
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