Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday urged the central government to postpone and reconsider its policy on easing border restrictions for some medical tourists starting on Saturday.
Citing the stability of the local COVID-19 situation, the Central Epidemic Command Center on Wednesday last week announced that starting on Saturday, foreign medical patients could apply for treatment in Taiwan, except for those with non-urgent medical needs, such as physical examinations and aesthetic medicine.
On March 19, border controls were tightened due to the coronavirus, restricting the entry of non-Taiwanese and interrupting treatments for some foreigners, as they were no longer able to travel to Taiwan, the center said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Many healthcare workers, as well as other members of the public, are “very concerned” about the policy, Chiang told a news conference in Taipei yesterday, adding that the announcement resulted in a backlash from medical personnel.
Many people have doubts about the government introducing the policy when the COVID-19 situation abroad is still serious, he said.
Chiang asked whether the safety of Taiwanese and the nation’s frontline medical staff should be risked for the healthcare rights of foreign patients.
He questioned whether there had been sufficient communication with healthcare workers to reach a consensus, and whether adequate measures were being taken to support the policy.
The central government should more clearly explain the policy, he said, adding that it should reveal estimates of how many foreign patients would be entering under the policy, from which nations and for what treatments.
Chiang called on the Ministry of Health and Welfare to postpone the policy’s implementation until there has been more communication and preparation.
KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) asked whether there were diplomatic or economic factors behind the ministry’s decision to allow foreign medical patients entry at this time.
The ministry should listen to the voices of the nation’s frontline medical workers, she said, urging the ministry to reconsider the policy.
Taiwan Medical Alliance for Labor Justice and Patient Safety representative Chien Li-chien (簡立建) said that before announcing such policies, the government should communicate with the nation’s frontline medical workers.
Taiwan Union of Nurses Association standing director Lin Hsiu-chu (林?珠) said there would be gray areas involved in granting foreign patients entry, as definitions might vary for aesthetic procedures and physical examinations.
Nationality is not important when helping patients, but it is crucial to protect the nation’s medical personnel and healthcare resources, she said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS