On the morning of June 16, President Ma Ying-jeou attended a forum at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital and met with health care professionals working there. In addition to explaining government health care policies, the nation's participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), and the handling of the recent incident involving plasticizer-tainted food additives in local food products, the president also exchanged opinions with hospital employees.
The president first praised the hospital for the services it has provided to both veterans and the general public in the 50-plus years since its establishment. The hospital is a leader in Taiwan in health care and public health, he said. The president noted that on June 15 the Executive Yuan's Department of Health (DOH) released the top 10 causes of death among ROC citizens in 2010. Malignant tumors topped the list, but a decline in suicides is encouraging. Suicide was the ninth most frequent cause of death in 2009, but fell to 11th place last year, and the total number of suicides dropped from 4,406 in 2007 to 3,889 persons last year. Experts attribute the decline in the number of suicides to an improving economy and a drop in the unemployment rate, he said.
With regard to the recent plasticizer scandal, which has caused considerable public concern, the president praised the DOH for its handling of the incident. He noted that some people accused the government of being slow in informing the public of the problem, but the DOH made sure it had comprehensive information and manpower in place before making an announcement, which helped prevent needless panic. Authorities have so far carried out inspections at over 17,000 factories, and over 23,000 food items have been taken off the shelves. The president stated that this marks unprecedented action in the history of Taiwan's food safety.
President Ma stressed that government leaders should "actively uncover corruption, rapidly deal with it, cooperate with investigations, and keep the public informed." The president stated that the DOH's handling of the plasticizer incident adhered to these guidelines. In addition, amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation have passed the third and final reading in the Legislative Yuan. The amended act provides heavier penalties for violators. District prosecutors have already filed litigation against the proprietors of factories involved in making or selling the illegal food additives. The president said that this incident has tarnished the international reputation of "Made in Taiwan" products. We are keeping 16 jurisdictions plus the World Health Organization (WHO) informed of the latest developments in this matter. Furthermore, he stated that the government is dealing with this unfortunate incident in a transparent, public, and speedy manner, and has not done anything that could be construed as trying to hide the facts.
The president mentioned that the ROC's health care system is the public service with which the public expresses the greatest level of satisfaction, at both the central and local government levels. He attributed this to the fact that Taiwan's National Health Insurance system covers 99.4% of the public, which has won international praise for Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan's health care is becoming more and more internationalized. The nation's ability to return to the WHA as an observer starting in 2009 has gradually opened up new doors for us, he said. For instance, the ROC is now attending WHA meetings under the name "Chinese Taipei" rather than "Taiwan, China." Meanwhile, we are able to attend meetings of international organizations as formal observers rather than in the capacity of experts. We are also able to send minister-level officials to these meetings, rather than the section chiefs or department chiefs of the past. Lastly, we are able to attend general assemblies, whereas we could only attend technical conferences in the past. President Ma called on the people of Taiwan to appreciate the progress made in this respect, as these achievements did not come easy.
The president then turned his attention to the recent issue of the nation being belittled in internal documents in the WHO due to the name used in referring to it. President Ma stated that Minister of Health Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) has already lodged a strong protest with the WHO over the issue. In addition, US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also convened a press conference at which she stressed that no United Nations-affiliated organization has the right to unilaterally decide the status of Taiwan. In addition, Charles Tannock, Chairman of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group, led a delegation to Taiwan in May this year. President Ma said that during a meeting with Chairman Tannock he specially asked him to assist us in getting the WHO to refer to us as "Chinese Taipei." After returning to Europe, Chairman Tannock and 20 members of the European Parliament signed their names to s letter dated June 14 that was sent to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. The letter, in referring to the name issue, said that the WHO's actions not only harm the credibility of the WHO, but also damage the impartiality and integrity of the director-general. The ROC's friends around the world are speaking on behalf of Taiwan, the president said, which shows that we are winning broad moral support.
With regard to the problems facing health care professionals in their working environment, the president stated that the government is examining working hours, work volume, and remuneration. He noted that recently there have been reports of health care workers dying from overwork. This has become a serious issue, he remarked, adding that the government plans to institute a variety of measures to improve the working environment in the health care sector. President Ma also reminded the medical professionals sitting in on the seminar that they should try to find time in their busy schedules to engage in regular exercise to stay healthy.
Earlier during his visit to the hospital, the president was accompanied by Veterans Affairs Commission Minister Tseng Jing-ling (曾金陵), Minister of Health Chiu Wen-ta, and Taipei Veterans General Hospital Superintendent Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) in attending a ceremony to mark the opening of a breast cancer service center at the hospital. The president praised the unit, which aims to offer one-stop service and seamless service to cancer patients, adding that the center will offer initial appointments, screening and diagnosis of breast cancer, treatment, and follow-up for five years after treatment. President Ma said that the center not only provides comprehensive care for cancer patients, but also helps to save time for them. He expressed his appreciation for the services offered by the center.