Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Tzou-yien (林奏延) has approved the Centers for Disease Control’s imposition of a NT$1 million (US$31,774) fine on the National Defense University over its expulsion of a student with HIV, the ministry announced yesterday.
On Aug. 15, the centers announced that it would fine the university for discriminating against a student named A-li (a pseudonym), who tested positive for HIV in 2012, and in 2013 was expelled for what the school said was his poor attitude and conduct.
However, the health ministry did not immediately back the centers’ decision, with the ministry’s legal affairs committee saying that the centers’ administrative penalty discretion standards and its rationale for issuing the fine were not clear enough, so it asked the centers to provide additional information before resubmitting the fine for approval.
During the more than 10 days that the centers deliberated over its approval, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Lin Chuan (林全) both expressed their support for A-li.
Health ministry spokesman Liu Ming-hsun (劉明勳) yesterday said Lin has approved the centers’ document and that the proposed NT$1 million fine would remain unchanged.
Liu said the penalty notice is expected to be sent out by the centers tomorrow at the earliest.
The Ministry of National Defense said it would appeal the fine.
Defense ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) again said that neither his ministry nor the university discriminated against the student because of his HIV-positive status.
Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) refused to comment on the defense ministry’s planned appeal, but said that the Cabinet respects the defense ministry’s action, as it behaved according to its duties and the authority invested in it.
The Cabinet on Monday asked the defense ministry to give A-li a certificate of education and relinquish its demand that he repay his scholarship. However, the ministry only agreed to give A-li a study record and to stop asking him to return a NT$800,000 scholarship, even though the Cabinet urged the defense ministry to respect its instructions.
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