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United Updated: "2011/04/14 09:56" Reporter Zhang Jiafang / Taipei Report
Choosing the day when the Department of Health's hospital inspection committee held its first consensus meeting yesterday, former Minister Yang Zhiliang gave an interview to China Broadcasting Corporation. He not only exposed the dark side of the department-affiliated hospitals but also bluntly pointed out the tangled interests between doctors and vendors within the "white tower."
The department-affiliated hospitals were originally provincial hospitals until the abolition of the provincial government in 1998, when they were renamed and incorporated into the Department of Health system. Yang Zhiliang said that back then, the directors and doctors of provincial hospitals were civil servants with fixed salaries and low incomes. Due to personal cultivation and system design, they were forced to earn extra income by opening private practices on the side—"keeping the good profits for themselves"—or engaging in underhanded dealings within the hospitals.
Attended Two Banquets, Too Scared to Go Again
Yang Zhiliang once attended gatherings where he heard that becoming a director or deputy director of a provincial hospital "had a price tag." He went to two banquets as a guest and "was too scared to go again."
Hospital procurement involves huge interests. Vendors would "take care" of doctors and staff in charge. Yang Zhiliang said that doctors' wives would be escorted by special personnel when traveling abroad, and assistance would be provided for household registration copies. For pediatricians traveling abroad, infant formula vendors would even cover their expenses and airfare. "Even hospital year-end parties were paid for by vendors, who handled everything big and small."
Salaries of 400,000 to 500,000, Corruption Unforgivable
"Hospitals receive public budget subsidies, but the budget allocation has nothing to do with local medical resources or residents' needs." Yang Zhiliang pointed out that provincial hospital directors used public budgets to build wards and purchase medical equipment and drugs, "laundering money into their own pockets through kickbacks and bribes."
Yang Zhiliang believes that in the past, there were few good doctors, and due to systemic and individual issues, although some actions were illegal, they were understandable in context. Later, hospitals implemented a series of performance-based salary systems and physician incentive reforms. The monthly salaries of department-affiliated hospital directors reached 400,000 to 500,000, equivalent to the annual income of many families. Even the minister's monthly salary was only one-third of a hospital director's. He said that since these directors are civil servants with pension guarantees, "if they still engage in corruption, it is unforgivable."
Core Medical Services Outsourced, Inappropriate Treatment Inevitably Excessive
Regarding the outsourcing of core medical services in department-affiliated hospitals, "it's like department store counters—vendors only care about their own interests, not the hospital's." Yang Zhiliang emphasized that outsourcing services like chemotherapy, dialysis, and lithotripsy means doctors and equipment are provided by vendors. "It’s obvious—inappropriate treatment will definitely be OVER (excessive)."
Besides inappropriate treatment, Yang Zhiliang bluntly stated that some department-affiliated hospital directors signed eight-to-ten-year contracts with vendors before stepping down. Some even handed over public land to private equipment companies to build cancer centers. He sensed problems but said, "We can't wiretap or follow them," so they could only collect evidence and hand it over to investigators.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110414/ 2/ 2psuj. html
China Times Updated: 2011/04/14 02:54
By Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Former Health Minister Yang Zhiliang exposed further misconduct in the Department of Health (DOH) hospitals on the 13th, directly implicating Huang Fang-yen and Chao Chien-ming, who held power during the Chen Shui-bian administration, for severely corrupting medical practices. Yang also admitted that he had instructed the collection of evidence regarding the DOH hospital scandals and proactively reported them to the authorities. Now that he has stepped down, he fears retaliation and thus cannot disclose further details, leaving everything to the judicial system.
Yang Zhiliang once again criticized the DOH hospital scandals yesterday. He pointed out that while serving as a professor at National Taiwan University, he was once invited to a dinner where he heard that the positions of public hospital directors and deputy directors had price tags. Some doctors even had pharmaceutical representatives run errands for them, such as handling household registration documents, arranging trips for their wives, or paying for meals.
Yang stated that the DOH hospital scandals were most severe between 2006 and 2007, coinciding with the era when Huang Fang-yen, the "imperial physician" of the Chen family, and Chao Chien-ming, the son-in-law, were in power. He emphasized that he did not want to stir up political divisions, but many of the scandals occurred during that period—perhaps coincidentally—yet the overall atmosphere was problematic.
Notable scandals involving DOH hospitals include: inappropriate removal of women's ovaries and uteruses at Keelung Hospital to fraudulently claim commercial insurance payouts; a kickback scheme for artificial joints at Taipei Hospital; and fraudulent claims of National Health Insurance fees by doctors at Taitung Hospital.
It is reported that in 2003, Chao Chien-ming was promoted directly from a resident orthopedic surgeon at National Taiwan University to an attending physician at Taipei Hospital, with Huang Kun-zhang, who was implicated in the scandals, serving as the director at the time.
Rumors have long circulated that DOH hospital director positions had fixed prices, with Chao Chien-ming being the key figure behind the scenes in arranging appointments. Former Taoyuan Hospital director Ho Feng-ming rapidly rose from attending physician to deputy director and then director, fueling widespread speculation about buying positions. In 2006, during the investigation of the Taiwan Land Development Corporation case, authorities discovered that Ho had transferred NT$500,000 to Chao Chien-ming to pass on to Chao Yu-chu, suspected to be a bribe for securing the position.
Yang Zhiliang also pointed out that DOH hospitals outsourced treatments such as cancer therapy, dialysis, and lithotripsy. With directors serving only three-year terms, some signed procurement contracts lasting ten or eight years just before their terms ended, which was completely unreasonable.
Yang particularly emphasized that DOH hospital directors earned monthly salaries of NT$400,000 to NT$500,000, making their involvement in corruption "unforgivable."
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110414/ 4/ 2ps8k. html
Joint Updated: "2011/04/13 15:35" Reporter Li Shuren/Report from Taipei
Frequent scandals have emerged in the Department of Health-affiliated hospitals. Former Minister of Health Yang Zhiliang revealed during a radio interview this morning that when he was a professor at the National Taiwan University School of Public Health, he attended a dinner where he heard that the positions of hospital directors and deputy directors in these hospitals had price tags. Some public hospital physicians even had pharmaceutical company staff run errands for them, such as obtaining household registration documents or paying for their wives' trips abroad and meals.
During the program, Yang Zhiliang stated that he discovered various irregularities in the Department of Health-affiliated hospitals during his tenure as minister. For example, while the term for hospital directors is three years, some directors signed 10- or 8-year contracts with vendors before their terms ended, which was highly unreasonable. One such hospital even handed over public land to a private medical equipment supplier to build a cancer treatment center, pocketing the money, which was extremely unfair to patients.
Yang Zhiliang also detailed several major scandals he dealt with during his tenure, including the kickback case involving artificial joints at the Taipei Orthopedic Hospital, the fraudulent claims of National Health Insurance fees by the director of Taitung Hospital, and the case of a Keelung Hospital doctor who removed a woman's ovaries and uterus and fraudulently claimed insurance money.
Regarding the recent scandals in these hospitals, Yang Zhiliang analyzed that the problematic hospitals were not located in remote areas. He believes this is not just an issue of integrity but also a systemic problem. While a few individuals are at fault, most staff in these hospitals work hard and deserve recognition.
Yang Zhiliang emphasized that the salaries of hospital directors are extremely high, reaching NT$400,000 to NT$500,000 per month—equivalent to the annual income of many families—which warrants review. He once discussed with hospital directors the need to redistribute personnel budgets to increase the salaries of frontline staff like nurses and pharmacists.
Yang Zhiliang believes these hospitals should not be abolished, as they are responsible for many public health tasks, and thus should not be required to be entirely self-sufficient. As for the appointment of directors, a separate committee should handle the process, and deputy directors should not be promoted to directors within the same hospital.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110413/ 2/ 2pr1j. html
Yang Zhiliang Exposes the Dark Side of the Medical Industry You Didn't Know
Choosing the day when the Department of Health's hospital inspection committee held its first consensus meeting yesterday, former Minister Yang Zhiliang gave an interview to China Broadcasting Corporation. He not only exposed the dark side of the department-affiliated hospitals but also bluntly pointed out the tangled interests between doctors and vendors within the "white tower."
The department-affiliated hospitals were originally provincial hospitals until the abolition of the provincial government in 1998, when they were renamed and incorporated into the Department of Health system. Yang Zhiliang said that back then, the directors and doctors of provincial hospitals were civil servants with fixed salaries and low incomes. Due to personal cultivation and system design, they were forced to earn extra income by opening private practices on the side—"keeping the good profits for themselves"—or engaging in underhanded dealings within the hospitals.
Attended Two Banquets, Too Scared to Go Again
Yang Zhiliang once attended gatherings where he heard that becoming a director or deputy director of a provincial hospital "had a price tag." He went to two banquets as a guest and "was too scared to go again."
Hospital procurement involves huge interests. Vendors would "take care" of doctors and staff in charge. Yang Zhiliang said that doctors' wives would be escorted by special personnel when traveling abroad, and assistance would be provided for household registration copies. For pediatricians traveling abroad, infant formula vendors would even cover their expenses and airfare. "Even hospital year-end parties were paid for by vendors, who handled everything big and small."
Salaries of 400,000 to 500,000, Corruption Unforgivable
"Hospitals receive public budget subsidies, but the budget allocation has nothing to do with local medical resources or residents' needs." Yang Zhiliang pointed out that provincial hospital directors used public budgets to build wards and purchase medical equipment and drugs, "laundering money into their own pockets through kickbacks and bribes."
Yang Zhiliang believes that in the past, there were few good doctors, and due to systemic and individual issues, although some actions were illegal, they were understandable in context. Later, hospitals implemented a series of performance-based salary systems and physician incentive reforms. The monthly salaries of department-affiliated hospital directors reached 400,000 to 500,000, equivalent to the annual income of many families. Even the minister's monthly salary was only one-third of a hospital director's. He said that since these directors are civil servants with pension guarantees, "if they still engage in corruption, it is unforgivable."
Core Medical Services Outsourced, Inappropriate Treatment Inevitably Excessive
Regarding the outsourcing of core medical services in department-affiliated hospitals, "it's like department store counters—vendors only care about their own interests, not the hospital's." Yang Zhiliang emphasized that outsourcing services like chemotherapy, dialysis, and lithotripsy means doctors and equipment are provided by vendors. "It’s obvious—inappropriate treatment will definitely be OVER (excessive)."
Besides inappropriate treatment, Yang Zhiliang bluntly stated that some department-affiliated hospital directors signed eight-to-ten-year contracts with vendors before stepping down. Some even handed over public land to private equipment companies to build cancer centers. He sensed problems but said, "We can't wiretap or follow them," so they could only collect evidence and hand it over to investigators.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110414/ 2/ 2psuj. html
Yang Zhiliang: Fear of Being Ambushed
By Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Former Health Minister Yang Zhiliang exposed further misconduct in the Department of Health (DOH) hospitals on the 13th, directly implicating Huang Fang-yen and Chao Chien-ming, who held power during the Chen Shui-bian administration, for severely corrupting medical practices. Yang also admitted that he had instructed the collection of evidence regarding the DOH hospital scandals and proactively reported them to the authorities. Now that he has stepped down, he fears retaliation and thus cannot disclose further details, leaving everything to the judicial system.
Yang Zhiliang once again criticized the DOH hospital scandals yesterday. He pointed out that while serving as a professor at National Taiwan University, he was once invited to a dinner where he heard that the positions of public hospital directors and deputy directors had price tags. Some doctors even had pharmaceutical representatives run errands for them, such as handling household registration documents, arranging trips for their wives, or paying for meals.
Yang stated that the DOH hospital scandals were most severe between 2006 and 2007, coinciding with the era when Huang Fang-yen, the "imperial physician" of the Chen family, and Chao Chien-ming, the son-in-law, were in power. He emphasized that he did not want to stir up political divisions, but many of the scandals occurred during that period—perhaps coincidentally—yet the overall atmosphere was problematic.
Notable scandals involving DOH hospitals include: inappropriate removal of women's ovaries and uteruses at Keelung Hospital to fraudulently claim commercial insurance payouts; a kickback scheme for artificial joints at Taipei Hospital; and fraudulent claims of National Health Insurance fees by doctors at Taitung Hospital.
It is reported that in 2003, Chao Chien-ming was promoted directly from a resident orthopedic surgeon at National Taiwan University to an attending physician at Taipei Hospital, with Huang Kun-zhang, who was implicated in the scandals, serving as the director at the time.
Rumors have long circulated that DOH hospital director positions had fixed prices, with Chao Chien-ming being the key figure behind the scenes in arranging appointments. Former Taoyuan Hospital director Ho Feng-ming rapidly rose from attending physician to deputy director and then director, fueling widespread speculation about buying positions. In 2006, during the investigation of the Taiwan Land Development Corporation case, authorities discovered that Ho had transferred NT$500,000 to Chao Chien-ming to pass on to Chao Yu-chu, suspected to be a bribe for securing the position.
Yang Zhiliang also pointed out that DOH hospitals outsourced treatments such as cancer therapy, dialysis, and lithotripsy. With directors serving only three-year terms, some signed procurement contracts lasting ten or eight years just before their terms ended, which was completely unreasonable.
Yang particularly emphasized that DOH hospital directors earned monthly salaries of NT$400,000 to NT$500,000, making their involvement in corruption "unforgivable."
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110414/ 4/ 2ps8k. html
Yang Zhiliang Reveals: Public Hospital Doctors' Overseas Meals Paid by Drug Companies
Frequent scandals have emerged in the Department of Health-affiliated hospitals. Former Minister of Health Yang Zhiliang revealed during a radio interview this morning that when he was a professor at the National Taiwan University School of Public Health, he attended a dinner where he heard that the positions of hospital directors and deputy directors in these hospitals had price tags. Some public hospital physicians even had pharmaceutical company staff run errands for them, such as obtaining household registration documents or paying for their wives' trips abroad and meals.
During the program, Yang Zhiliang stated that he discovered various irregularities in the Department of Health-affiliated hospitals during his tenure as minister. For example, while the term for hospital directors is three years, some directors signed 10- or 8-year contracts with vendors before their terms ended, which was highly unreasonable. One such hospital even handed over public land to a private medical equipment supplier to build a cancer treatment center, pocketing the money, which was extremely unfair to patients.
Yang Zhiliang also detailed several major scandals he dealt with during his tenure, including the kickback case involving artificial joints at the Taipei Orthopedic Hospital, the fraudulent claims of National Health Insurance fees by the director of Taitung Hospital, and the case of a Keelung Hospital doctor who removed a woman's ovaries and uterus and fraudulently claimed insurance money.
Regarding the recent scandals in these hospitals, Yang Zhiliang analyzed that the problematic hospitals were not located in remote areas. He believes this is not just an issue of integrity but also a systemic problem. While a few individuals are at fault, most staff in these hospitals work hard and deserve recognition.
Yang Zhiliang emphasized that the salaries of hospital directors are extremely high, reaching NT$400,000 to NT$500,000 per month—equivalent to the annual income of many families—which warrants review. He once discussed with hospital directors the need to redistribute personnel budgets to increase the salaries of frontline staff like nurses and pharmacists.
Yang Zhiliang believes these hospitals should not be abolished, as they are responsible for many public health tasks, and thus should not be required to be entirely self-sufficient. As for the appointment of directors, a separate committee should handle the process, and deputy directors should not be promoted to directors within the same hospital.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110413/ 2/ 2pr1j. html