Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) specialist advisory panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) yesterday apologized for causing any harm to the medical community or patients and their family with his inappropriate choice of words while presenting a report about COVID-19 deaths.
At the daily news briefing on Monday, Chang said that medical records showed that 17.8 percent, or 111, of the 622 death cases had do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, which is one of the reasons why Taiwan has a relatively high COVID-19 fatality rate.
Of the 100 cases of COVID-19 deaths with a DNR order reported from May 18 to June 24, the average age was 75.8, he said, adding that 91 of them had underlying health conditions, including 54 with hypertension, 33 with diabetes, 26 with cardiovascular disease and 24 with kidney disease.
Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
Many COVID-19 patients had severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, and while endotracheal intubation might be painful for critically ill patients and difficult for medical practitioners, some of them might have been saved, he said at the time.
His comments sparked a debate about the issue, with some doctors taking to social media to say that his remarks would only add to the guilt that medical practitioners and the families of the deceased feel after facing an ethical dilemma and making tough decisions about DNRs.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, on Tuesday said he believed Chang did not mean that COVID-19 cases with DNR orders should have been saved.
There are clear ethical guidelines for signing a DNR order, and decisions are made after careful discussions between medical teams and the patient’s family, so everyone should respect it, he said.
Chang yesterday said he apologized for his inappropriate choice of words when making the report, adding that they have harmed some people, but he had no intention of hurting or blaming anyone.
The reason he mentioned the death cases with DNR orders was because he was surprised by the high percentage of such fatalities when he was analyzing the medical records, and he wanted to present the situation to the public, he said.
There are always uncertainties in medical practice, and not all patients can be saved by endotracheal intubation, a process that could add to the suffering of the patient and their family, he said, adding that the health and quality of life of the patient after being saved must also be considered.
Chang said he understands that DNR decisions are made carefully after sufficient discussions, so they should be respected.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai
RSS