Kuomintang congressman's emergency room rant against medical association, Taiwan Pediatric Medical Association makes 3-point statement

Kuomintang Taipei City Councilor Li Baiyi yelled at the medical staff in the emergency room. He was questioned as "exerting privileges" by using his identity as a democratic representative. Li Boyi burst into tears on the 8th and admitted his mistake, bowing seven times.

Kuomintang Taipei City Councilor Li Boyi yelled at the medical staff in Taipei's emergency room. He was questioned as "exerting privileges" by using his identity as a democratic representative. Li Boyi burst into tears on the 8th and admitted his mistake, bowing and apologizing seven times. In this regard, the Taiwan Pediatric Medical Association stated that it insists on zero tolerance for violence in the medical field, including intimidation, insults, and any form of violence, and hopes that society will face up to the deep crisis facing Taiwan's children's medical system. The 3-point statement of the Taiwan Pediatric Medical Association is as follows.

1. We understand parents’ anxiety, but we must respect the medical profession.

Children are not smaller versions of adults. Their disease manifestations, changes in conditions, and medications are all unique. Careful confirmation of medical history and medication is a necessary procedure to ensure the safety of sick children. Medical staff should also explain the condition and treatment to parents in a clear and empathetic manner as much as possible. The Academy of Pediatrics has always maintained a zero-tolerance approach to intimidation, insults and any form of violence in the medical field. Relevant behaviors not only harm frontline medical personnel, but may also interfere with medical judgment and affect the rights and interests of other patients and medical safety.

2. The plight of children’s medical care requires social support and cross-party policy commitment.

This matter is not just a medical-disease conflict. Affected by the declining birthrate, workload, duty pressure, medical risks and payment system, the number of young doctors choosing pediatrics has decreased; some pediatric specialists have also left the hospital's acute and critical care system due to the disparity between responsibilities and remuneration.

The Medical Association stated that maintaining 24-hour pediatric emergency care requires complete manpower, hospitalization and critical care backup. However, current health insurance is mostly priced based on service volume and number of cases, which cannot support high fixed costs. Therefore, at present, only a few large medical centers can fully maintain front-line emergency medical care by pediatric specialists around the clock. There is already a shortage of nighttime pediatric resources in urban areas, and the situation is even more severe in rural areas and outlying islands. Without immediate action, there may not be enough pediatricians, hospital beds, or pediatric intensive care units for real emergencies in the future.

3. The Pediatric Medical Association hopes that the ruling and opposition parties will jointly propose specific and feasible "beef on children's medical policies."

These include: stable financial resources, guaranteed benefits, manpower development, retention and return measures, reasonable working conditions, regional joint prevention and long-term planning for children's health, and accept social testing with clear timetables, budgets and performance indicators. The low birthrate should not be a reason to reduce children's medical care; the fewer children there are, the more the country should cherish every child, and every pediatric medical staff who sticks to the front line should feel the real support of the country and society.