文章內容: Scholars and medical experts yesterday urged Taiwan to apply for full membership in the World Health Organization rather than settle for observer status, arguing that the SARS outbreak in the country provided an ideal opportunity for Taiwan to press its case for admission.
At a forum yesterday focusing on how the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, could be used to strengthen the island's WHO bid, speakers also lashed out at China for not disclosing the existence of the disease earlier and for politicizing Taiwan's bid.
Debate centered on the merits of applying for full membership rather than observer status and how Taiwan would officially designate itself.
Fort Liao (廖福特), assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica's (中央研究院) Institute of European and American Studies, said frankly, "I don't understand why we want to define ourselves as a 'health entity.' Will the claim guarantee more votes for us?"
He objected to the term because "such a claim is very likely to jeopardize our status as a sovereign state, just as our longtime effort to become merely an observer to the World Health Assembly has also made light of our sovereignty.
"Whether we apply for WHA observer status or full WHO membership, we need support from half of the member states. Why don't we just go for full membership?"
This year's WHA meeting is slated for May 19 to 28, where Taiwan's bid will be decided.
Echoing Liao's statements, Deng Jou-fang, chairman of the Taiwan International Medical Alliance, stressed, "efficiency is crucial to disease prevention work. Without full membership, how can Taiwan exchange views and experiences with other members?"
Deng added, "if Taiwan gains observer status as a result of a negotiated compromise, then I'll accept it. But we shouldn't actively apply for observer status from the get-go."
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official asserted, however, that targeting observer status was a more realistic approach.
Campaign focus
"I don't think Taiwan's application to gain observer status at the WHA will downgrade our sovereignty," said Tung Kuo-yu (董國猷), director general of the MOFA's Department of International Organizations.
"Our campaign has to take into consideration the reality of international politics which is that China still has more say than we do," Tung explained.
Some scholars contended, however, that the government is not well prepared to take advantage of the SARS outbreak in its WHO membership campaign.
"The government is not yet aware how significant the recent SARS outbreak in Taiwan is in terms of the island's bid to enter the WHO," criticized Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權), director and professor of the Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene at National Taiwan University's College of Public Health.
With the arrival in Taiwan on Saturday of WHO experts to provide assistance in combating SARS here, "the island's campaign to join the health body is entering a new phase," Chan noted.
"When we file complaints about being neglected by the WHO at the World Health Assembly this year," Chan asked, "how will we respond if the WHO officials say, 'we have sent experts to provide assistance in your country. What else do you want?'
"This is the question I would like our government to ponder carefully because the situation (for admittance to the WHO because of SARS) this year can't be any better," Chan emphasized. ……