陳總統自費延醫困難重重‏

陳總統自費延醫困難重重‏

President Chen is facing roadblocks to get self-financed medical care

陳總統民間醫療小組發言人 陳昭姿

Janice Chen, Spokesperson for the Volunteering Medical Team for President Chen

2013-09-18

自從今年 4月19日清晨，在沒有知會主治醫師下，陳總統從北榮被移送中監後，民間醫療小組成員就無法以醫師身分進入診療，至多只能以訪客身分由立委帶入探視，且必須簽署切結書，承諾遵守一切規定。我們在6月正式向法務部提出書面申請，希望我方醫師能進入中監診療，都未獲得回應。直到陳總統本人提出自費延醫申請，且經指定醫師以其服務機構向所在衛生局提出支援報備獲准後，今年8月13日才第一次有精神科醫師陳喬琪教授能以醫師身分進入探視陳總統。

On April 19th, 2013, Ministry of Justice (MOJ) forcefully transferred President Chen from Taipei Veteran General Hospital to Taichung Prison without informing or getting consent from his primary doctor (i.e., violating the medical laws in Taiwan). Since then, we, members of volunteering medical team, had not been allowed to see President Chen as doctors to provide the medical care he needs. At best, we could only visit him as regular visitors and were prohibited to conduct any medical examinations. During the visit, we were asked to sign a gag order, promising not to comment on his medical conditions. In June, we formally petitioned MOJ to get permission to treat President Chen in Taichung Prison but our repeated requests were ignored. On August 13, after President Chen applied for medical care at his own expenses (based on the self-financed medical care law for inmates) with endorsement from his assigned doctor at Taichung Prison, our member, Dr. Chen Chiao-Chicy, a renowned psychiatrist, was finally allowed to examine President Chen.

我們已經被告知，此申請模式以逐次為原則，生效後必須再度申請獲准才能再度去探視病人。目前，陳教授的第二次申請，以及第二位醫師陳順勝教授的申請案都被擱置。中監人員雖然友善，但是透露他們無法做主，須由法務部決定。可是，目前法務部沒有部長，副部長們似乎也不做回應，因此，不但我們民間醫療小組醫師都進不去，且陳總統因罹患重度睡眠呼吸中止症接受第一階段鼻部手術後所需要的第二階段喉部手術，似乎也無法聞問催促。

However, after Dr. Chen's examination, we were told that each treatment by us must be approved as a new case. Dr. Chen Chiao-Chicy's second application, as well as the application by Dr. Chen Shuen-Shen, a world famous neurologist, have been put aside. The staff at Taichung Prison, though courteous, informed us that they had no authority to approve the applications and they must wait for MOJ's instructions. Currently, there is no Minister of Justice at MOJ (note that Tseng Yon-Fu, the former minister, was recently forced to resign by Ma), while the deputy minister does not respond to our applications. As a result, we are not able to visit President Chen again, and the planned 2nd surgery to treat his severe sleep apnea is also up in the air.

適逢多事之秋，但我們只好向民進黨多位立委提出協助請求。只是，完全合乎監獄行刑法的自費延醫申請，眼前似乎遙遙無期。

We turn to DPP legislators for help. However, at the moment, there are many political issues in Taiwan (due to Ma's cleansing war against Wang, Legislation Yuan Chief, for the sake of pushing through the service trade agreement with China). We are left in despair without knowing when, or if, the applications would be approved even though President Chen's applications to have self-financed medical care meet all the requirements by the prison law,