Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) yesterday suspended three doctors from performing surgeries after video footage from July 2023 surfaced allegedly showing a medical-device vendor handling part of an operation.
The hospital said it would fully cooperate with investigations by prosecutors and health authorities, adding that any illegal conduct would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times
The case involves allegations earlier this month that a medical-device vendor was allowed to enter multiple operating rooms and take part in procedures.
TVGH has acknowledged that three physicians permitted a vendor to enter operating rooms without proper reporting, but said an internal review found no evidence the vendor participated in operations.
However, renewed scrutiny arose following the circulation of video footage on a local media Web site on Friday that appeared to show the vendor performing part of a procedure, prompting the Ministry of Health and Welfare to order a fresh review.
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) on Saturday said that authorities are re-examining the facts and that a joint task force, including local health officials, would conduct on-site inspections at the hospital.
Local health authorities could launch an investigation if the hospital's earlier report is found to be incomplete, he added.
TVGH said it convened an emergency management meeting yesterday after reviewing the footage and decided to suspend the three doctors from surgical duties during the investigation, with two also removed from managerial posts.
The vendor involved has been barred from entering operating rooms pending the outcome of the judicial investigation, the hospital said, adding that the head of its Neurological Medicine Center has been temporarily replaced by a vice superintendent.
The Taichung District Prosecutors' Office is already handling the case, which could involve contraventions of the Physicians Act (醫師法) and the Medical Care Act (醫療法) if unlicensed people are found to have performed medical procedures.
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