Taiwan appeals to WHO for ‘first-hand information’ on coronavirus pandemic
- Island’s health minister says it could become a gap in the global response without the most up-to-date details on the crisis
- Chen Shih-chung also says Taipei should be allowed to take part in the world health body, and is willing to discuss this with Beijing
Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, has infected over 3.6 million people and killed more than 256,000 worldwide since it was first reported in central China late last year.
But Taiwan, which took swift quarantine and other measures in late January, has reported just 439 cases and six deaths, and it has been widely praised for its approach.
Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the outbreak, is only about a two-hour flight from Taiwan.
Chen Shih-chung, Taiwan’s health minister, on Wednesday said the island needed the latest information if it was to play a role in controlling the pandemic, warning it could become a gap in the global fight if it had to rely on second-hand details.
“Taiwan needs first-hand information. Any second-hand information slows down the actions we take and distorts our judgment about the pandemic,” Chen said in a news briefing for foreign media outlets in Taipei. “But if we can get first-hand information within the [WHO], we can see the whole picture and can react proactively by creating various systems or policies. This way, Taiwan will not become a gap because we are able to act faster.”
“When it comes to a global pandemic, what is most important is transparency – that everyone reveals what he or she knows … even if such information is only bits and pieces,” Chen said. “With these bits and pieces of information, experts can then piece together the most useful data that can help people.”
Chen said pandemic control efforts required “every country and unit to be frank” so that everyone was informed and could work together to respond to the crisis.
The minister also took a swipe at the WHO, saying Taiwan should be allowed to take part in the global health body. He said Taiwan would be willing to discuss the island’s participation in the WHO with Beijing but the discussions must be conducted on an equal footing.
“Our only condition is that we cannot be belittled,” Chen said.
Beijing has repeatedly said that Taiwan cannot have a role at the WHO as only sovereign countries were represented at the health body. But Taipei says the island’s absence from the WHO has hammered its disease control work and risked jeopardising its people’s health.
Asked if Beijing had provided information to Taiwan that had contributed to its fast action on the coronavirus, Chen said certain information had been supplied but it had been limited, and it was necessary for Taiwan to join the WHO.
After the specialists returned from the mainland, Taiwan’s Centres for Disease Control on January 16 said they believed the disease could be transmissible between humans – at that stage Beijing had not confirmed this – giving the example of a cluster outbreak involving two families.
Chen also urged the WHO not to exclude Taiwan because of political pressure from Beijing, which sees the island as part of its territory with no right to join international bodies.
“We are thankful for the firm support from many allies and like-minded countries for Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and its meetings, mechanisms and activities, as well as calling on the WHO to invite Taiwan to the 73rd World Health Assembly,” he said, referring to an upcoming meeting of the WHO’s decision-making body.
