People can now check if their doctors are convicted sex offenders through a platform established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW).
The information section on gender-related incidents involving medical personnel (https://ma.mohw.gov.tw/Accessibility/VIOSearch/MASearchVIO) was launched yesterday following a series of sexual harassment and assault cases in National Taiwan University Hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The platform allows people to see the names of doctors convicted of sexual crimes, their specialties, locations of their practices and final verdicts.
Photo: screen grab from the Ministry of Health and Welfare Web site
In addition to doctors, people can check if dentists, pharmacists, nurses, nutritionists, midwives, medical laboratory technologists and or other medical professionals had been convicted of sex crimes as well.
The platform currently only discloses information that has been made available since the legislature passed three laws concerning gender equality in 2023, including the Gender Equality in Employment Act (性別平等工作法), the Gender Equality Education Act (性別平等教育法) and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act (性騷擾防治法).
Seven convicted medical professionals were listed on the platform, including six doctors and one medical radiation technologist.
Four have suspended or ceased practices, while three have medical practices in New Taipei City, Changhua County and Taichung, according to the platform.
The ministry would expand information available on the platform by including convictions of other medical professionals, MOHW Department of Medical Affairs Deputy Director-General Liu Yu-ching (劉玉菁) said.
“We would request the Judicial Yuan’s assistance in coordinating among different judicial agencies so verdicts can be directly linked to the platform, which would allow the public to access a more complete set of information,” Liu said.
Taiwan Healthcare Reform Foundation executive director Lin Ya-hui (林雅惠) said that the ministry is obligated to inform the public about the timeline for updating information on the platform.
“Victims of medical violence often encounter great difficulties in filing lawsuits because of the power relations involved,” Lin said.
“If the final verdict is required to disclose the information of sex offenders, it would only add to the pressure and trauma that victims have experienced,” Lin added.
There have been cases in which predatory doctors have sexually assaulted minors while awaiting court rulings, Lin said.
Meanwhile, healthcare professionals found guilty of sexual misconduct could always change their names and their specialties, and work in a new place, Lin said, adding that such information cannot be found under the current system.
A significant example of this problem involved a doctor who violated medical ethics by having multiple improper relationships with patients, Lin said.
An investigation showed that the doctor left the hospital they worked for, changed their name and continued to practice in medical institutions in New Taipei City and Taoyuan, she said.
People are also unable to access the doctor’s disciplinary records, Lin said, adding that court rulings are not the only means of determining whether a doctor has violated medical ethics.
“We have reviewed healthcare workers’ punishment records and found that, aside from gender equality-related incidents, many unlawful practices have also severely damaged the trust between medical professionals and patients, such as fraudulent use of patients’ National Health Insurance cards, forgery of medical records, recruitment of unlicensed doctors and administering non-approved therapies,” Lin said.
Verdicts and disciplinary decisions are public records and should be made accessible to all, Lin said, adding that a risk-management mechanism must be in place to protect people from predatory doctors.
In addition to personal information, the platform should show doctors’ medical license numbers and whether they have changed their names, practiced in different localities or were involved in breaches of medical ethics, Lin said.
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