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Return to prison not
good for Chen: doctor
SUICIDAL: The hospital said home care was a
better option, but the justice ministry said it still has to review the
hospital’s report and will make a decision in three weeks
By Rich Chang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party
legislators Chen Ou-po, right, and Hsu Chung-hsin hold a press conference in
Taipei yesterday, calling on the Ministry of Justice to immediately release
former president Chen Shui-bian from prison on medical parole.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is
suffering from various ailments, and it would not be good for him to return to
prison, his attending physician told lawmakers yesterday.
Chou Yuan-hua (周元華), a psychiatrist in charge of Chen’s care at Taipei Veterans
General Hospital (TVGH), added that it would be better for the former president
to be looked after at home or to stay in a hospital that has a psychiatry
department near his home.
When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) asked if
there was a possibility that Chen might commit suicide if he were sent back to
Taipei Prison, Chou said: “There is definitely a possibility.”
Chou was giving a report on the former president’s current condition at a
meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
After nasal septum deviation surgery recently, Chou said Chen’s sleep apnea has
improved, but there was a high risk of a relapse.
Chou added that Chen’s speech impediment had not visibly improved over the past
half year. Two brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams found that he has
cerebral atrophy and hand tremors, and doctors are still monitoring these
conditions.
While there seem to be signs that Chen is recovering from severe depression, he
still suffers from anxiety and insomnia, Chou added.
“I know that Taipei Prison has tried to improve Chen’s environment in the
prison, but the treatment of severe depression should factor in the atmosphere
and the patient’s mental state. I believe it would not be good for Chen to go
back to prison now,” Chou said.
TVGH superintendent Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) told the meeting that TVGH is a hospital
for the treatment of severe and emergency conditions. While Chen’s immediate
symptoms have been treated, depression is a chronic disease that requires
lengthy treatment in a psychiatric ward.
Despite the doctors’ report, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂)
reiterated that Chen’s current medical treatment is sufficient to care for his
long-term health, and his condition does not qualify him for medical parole.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said it was very clear that the medical
report says Chen should be cared for at home and that he should not go back to
the prison, but the ministry does not seem to comprehend the report.
Chen Ming-tang said the ministry would evaluate TVGH’s report and make a
decision in three weeks.
The former president is serving a 20-year sentence for corruption.
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