Story Type:National Affairs;
Byline:Cecilia Fanchiang
The Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan celebrated its 11th anniversary this month. The group has been instrumental in helping develop the island's democracy, health policies and medical education.
FMPAT grew out of its predecessor organization--a social-activist union led by Lee Chen-yuan, a former presidential adviser and member of the Academia Sinica. Lee's group urged the government to abolish what at the time was an inhumane criminal code and start respecting human rights. FMPAT's first chairman was praised by his followers for awakening in Taiwan's medical profession a sense of social responsibility.
Since its inception in 1992, FMPAT has developed a reputation for medical training, biotech development and providing sound health-policy advice to the government. Today, it is one of the many groups trying to form relationships with international nongovernmental organizations to lobby for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization.
"Evolving from its early years of pushing social movements and advising on government policy, FMPAT has been extensively involved with issues of public health and WHO-related affairs," said Lin Shih-chia, FMPAT's executive director, "We have been working on medical research projects that extend to studies of medical history and the humanities. We also focus on Taiwan's biotech research and development by taking part in international conferences and joint training programs," said Lin, adding that, "Ultimately, most of our efforts fall on helping Taiwan join the WHO." In 1992, believing that the level of Taiwan's clinical-trial technology must be raised to prepare for a global boom in biotechnology, FMPAT initiated a series of clinical-research seminars. With sponsorship from the Department of Health, this program was expanded into a special training program with foreign experts--including officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration--invited to share knowledge in 1995. By 2002, FMPAT had conducted 21 such seminars to help build Taiwan's biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
The group took part in the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use and has since been involved in an "ICH in Taiwan" project. It is meant to tout Taiwan's development as a pharmaceutical center in the Asia-Pacific region. FMPAT was assigned the ICH-T, or International Conference on Harmonization--Taiwan, a project by the Health Department in 1996 to help Taiwan keep up with other countries' development in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals and still follow international pharmaceutical regulations.
The alliance serves as a channel for ICH information and boosts international exchange on pharmaceutical issues. Activities include building connections with international groups as an effective way of keeping the local pharmaceutical industry up to date with the latest ICH information. ICH compliance is expected to raise Taiwan's pharmaceutical practices to the international level.
The foundation hosted several conferences to call international attention to Taiwan's experience with clinical research. In 1998, FMPAT hosted the International Symposium on Recent Development of Clinical Trial in Asian Pacific Region. This was sponsored by the U.S. Drug Information Association. In 2000 and 2001, with help from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, FMPAT hosted two international conferences on APEC's joint project on bridging studies.
Following its early mission of pressuring the ROC government to respect human rights, FMPAT set its sights on world health affairs. The group first called public attention to the issue of WHO membership in 1995. Members of the group claim that, as members of the world community, ROC citizens should not be excluded from the global medical-care network. Naturally this stance soon became popular in local NGO and government circles.
One of FMPAT's most high-profile activities is an annual visit to the World Health Assembly in Geneva. In 1997, the group formed a task force called Taiwan for World Health Organization Alliance. A group made up of members of this task force, government officials and health department representatives will go to Geneva in May to launch a series of campaigns during the WHA. The campaigns are aimed at calling world attention to Taiwan's exclusion from WHO.
According to Lin, over the past decade, Taiwan has achieved a remarkable level of public health while typical diseases of underdeveloped countries such as malaria and infantile paralysis have been completely defeated. However, Lin pointed out, Taiwan's outstanding accomplishments should not justify its exclusion from the WHO.
Taiwan is seeking WHO status to fulfill its responsibility as a player on the world stage. "As the country's general level of health has benefited from the international community, we hope there are ways Taiwan can give something back and boost world health," said Lin.
A cross-departmental team with members from the public and private sectors was set up to push for WHA participation. FMPAT continues to lobby European, North American and East Asian governments. It wants to expand cooperation with international groups, overseas Taiwanese businesses, governments and NGOs to push for Taiwan's WHO entry.
The group has pegged training programs in international health affairs as a strategic necessity. Since 1998, FMPAT has sponsored seven training sessions on international health and diplomacy. Participants included students from medical, law, political science and linguistics departments. They learned about diplomacy and international affairs related to issues of human rights, medicine, macroeconomics and politics.
The group also sponsors charity events, concerts and open seminars at local hospitals to educate the general public about the WHO and the importance of Taiwan gaining admission.
A Web site promoting the island's participation in the health body was recently launched as another way of disseminating information. The site is maintained by OmniHealth Group, the Health Department and foreign ministry to reach people overseas. Soon, there will be Japanese, French and Spanish versions of the site.
Lin urged the government not to forget the strength of local NGOs. Given that Chinese interference makes it almost impossible for Taiwan to have official relations with most countries, she said FMPAT is looking forward to closer ties between the government, local NGOs and overseas Taiwanese communities.
Lin also urged the international community to consider the risks inherent in excluding Taiwan from the WHO network. It creates, she suggested, a breach in international humanitarian aid and disease prevention. She pointed to the WHO reaction to the devastating earthquake that hit Taiwan Sept. 21, 1999.
The health and human rights of Taiwanese people should not be ignored, Lin asserted. She said she worries that the 23 million people of this island are currently in jeopardy of contracting a mysterious, deadly pneumonia now causing an epidemic in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Severe acute respiratory syndrome has so far killed people in Canada, Hong Kong and Vietnam, and at press time there were four suspected cases of SARS infection in Taiwan.
The island's exclusion from the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network called attention to Taiwan's precarious position. Lin pointed out that isolating Taiwan from the WHO network of emergency aid and essential health guidelines is risking lives. In a recent media report, a WHO official admitted that the avoidance of Taiwan regarding SARS was out of political consideration.
Taiwan lost its WHO seat in 1972 when it was replaced by China in the United Nations. The island has made several attempts to rejoin, all of which have been blocked by Beijing.
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