The Control Yuan has censured the Ministry of Health and Welfare for failing to allocate sufficient resources toward helping children with developmental disorders.
Despite a significant rise in the number of children diagnosed with developmental disorders in the past few years, the ministry has yet to recognize the severity of the situation, a Control Yuan report released last month showed.
The number of children with cognitive or emotional disorders has grown to account for 7 percent of the physically and mentally challenged population, it said.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
IGNORED
Nevertheless, the ministry has not conducted a study on the matter nor sought to improve its processes after a previous corrective measure issued by the Control Yuan in 2018, it said.
The ministry’s efforts to integrate people with physical disabilities into community service networks over the past few years have not considered the needs of those with emotional disorders, the report said.
OBSTACLES
Some programs have made it more complicated for people with developmental disorders, with some people with emotional disabilities being rejected by service agencies, it said.
People with emotional disorders often find it difficult to express themselves verbally, and their anxiety and frustration sometimes leads to panic attacks, lashing out at others or committing self-harm, it said.
They need better support, but institutional or community support programs are lacking, and often make it difficult for a family’s designated caretaker to leave the home, the report said.
TOO SMALL
Ministry projects seeking to help those with emotional disorders are too small in scale, functioning more like projects that are in a trial phase rather than full-fledged programs, it said, adding that the programs lack planning, have little to no inter-project transition and require stable funding.
These shortcomings make it even more difficult for the projects to retain experienced personnel, it said.
The report says that the Executive Yuan should assess the programs’ efficacy, and provide long-term and stable funding while ensuring that the ministry is improving the projects.
It also called on the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor to help train professionals for Ministry of Health and Welfare programs.
Control Yuan members Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲), Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華), Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊) and Wang Mei-yu (王美玉) wrote the report.
A domestically developed “suicide drone,” also known as a loitering munition, would be tested and evaluated in July, and could enter mass production next year, Taiwan’s weapons developer said on Wednesday. The yet-to-be-named drone was among nine drone models unveiled by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on Tuesday. The drone has been dubbed the “Taiwanese switchblade” by Chinese-language media, due to its similarity to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which has been used by Ukraine in counterattacks during Russia’s invasion. It has a range of more than 10km, a flight time of more than 15 minutes, and an electro-optical
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
The Taipei City Government on Wednesday introduced of a series of tourism promotions, including free sightseeing bus tours and hotel discounts, in a bid to boost the number of international visitors. From now until June 30, 10,000 free Taipei Sightseeing Bus tickets are to be made available to travelers who stay in designated hotels for two nights, cruise passengers and European visitors transiting for more than 15 hours, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said. Eligible tourists can ask for the free four-hour unlimited ride bus tickets by presenting their passports at the hotels they stay in or from the
RSS