During the COVID-19 pandemic, an article circulated online accusing former Health Director Yang Chih-liang of being heartless. It claimed: “While the world suffers from COVID-19 and countless medical personnel are being infected, Yang Chih-liang is dampening morale by calling for ‘punishment,’ showing zero labor awareness and a total disregard for professional reality.”
However, the “Taipei City Physicians Union” and certain online factions are clearly stripping his words of context. Yang Chih-liang, the former Director-General of the Department of Health of the Republic of China (R.O.C.), was not blaming the doctor for getting infected; he was criticizing the fact that after the doctor was splashed with fluids during intubation, he failed to report the incident and continued to visit public places.
📜 The Full Quote from Yang Chih-liang
To understand the truth, one must read his full statement:
“First, this doctor performed an intubation on a confirmed patient around the 6th. Whether he needed more practice or not, we shouldn’t blame him for the accident itself. Risks exist; as the saying goes, ‘you can’t eat a sesame seed cake without dropping a few seeds.’ This occasional occurrence doesn’t warrant blame.
The biggest problem is this: In bio-labs worldwide, there is an SOP. Whether you are a doctor or an assistant, when such an incident occurs, you must immediately remove your PPE, put on a new set, and since it’s a negative pressure ward, immediately report the incident. You should then enter an isolation ward for 14 days or more. This contains the event locally, and it’s okay.
But he didn’t. He felt he was fine, went home, and visited several shopping malls with friends. We know there is an incubation period. Days later, we had to quarantine so many hospital colleagues. I don’t blame him for the unsuccessful intubation—everyone has bad luck. But he did not follow the SOP. If I am in a lab and I fail, get infected, or my PPE tears, I must report it. If I were the hospital director, the first thing I would do is dismiss him for this breach.”
⚖️ The Core Issue: Accountability vs. Emotion
Yang’s reasoning for punishment was clear: the doctor failed to manage the exposure, failed to self-isolate, and chose to visit malls with friends while potentially infectious.
Does the “Taipei City Physicians Union” truly believe that failing to report a high-risk exposure and going to a shopping mall instead is the “correct” professional behavior?
Ultimately, the current atmosphere on the island seems to forbid any member of the KMT from offering even a shred of criticism or suggestion. Perhaps the best advice for Yang Chih-liang would be: “My words will inevitably be twisted, so I shall offer no comment.”