Taiwan’s Participation in World Health Assembly Welcomed by WMA

The World Medical Association today welcomed the decision by China to allow Taiwan to participate in next month’s World Health Assembly under the name of “Chinese Taipei”.

Dr. Otmar Kloiber, Secretary General of the WMA, said: ‘This is excellent news. We have been calling for Taiwan to be given observer status at the World Health Assembly for many years. At a time when the world is facing a possible flu pandemic, Taiwan’s continued exclusion would have posed a real risk to public health, by denying a population of 23 million from receiving vital health information from the WHO.

‘This is not about the legal status of Taiwan. It is about everyday health care and physicians’ duty to treat everybody without discrimination.’

‘We welcome the fact that Taiwan will at last be able to participate in meetings of the World Health Organisation’.