The Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taipei over the ministry’s interpretation of Article 103 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), saying that it would allow those without professional pharmaceutical knowledge to run Chinese medicine businesses and pose a threat to pharmaceutical safety.
Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations president Huang Jin-shun (黃金舜) said the protesters demanded the ministry withdraw its interpretation of the article and called for Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) and Department of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Director-General Su Yi-chang (蘇奕彰) to step down over the matter.
The federation would convene a larger group to protest on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei on May 4, Huang added.
Photo: CNA
However, the National Union of Chinese Medicine Association said that the ministry’s interpretation helped guarantee the development of the Chinese medicine industry.
The industry had more than 15,000 operators two decades ago, a number which has almost halved, it said, adding that it estimated there would be fewer than 3,000 operators a decade from now.
The National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association said that the ministry’s interpretation did not pertain to the pharmaceutical aspect of the industry, and clear-cut definitions on the standard of qualification for Chinese medicine personnel would help attract more talent to the industry.
The Taiwan Traditional Chinese Medicine Economic and Commercial Association urged the public to support the ministry’s measure, saying that if the downstream distributors of Chinese medicine were to disappear, it could lead to the collapse of the entire Chinese traditional medicine industry.
The decline in Chinese traditional medicine has been too rapid, with too few pharmaceutical majors devoted to the sector, Su said, adding that the sector requires highly trained and experienced personnel from cultivation to storage.
Considering these needs, the ministry issued its interpretation on March 18 and would include herbal medicine as part of pharmaceutical medicine, he said.
The ministry would conduct a detailed categorization of prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and supplements based on safety and function, following thorough discussions with pharmaceutical companies and the food industry, he added.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
RSS