Edible oil clinic sees few patients, criticized as wasteful; Shen Po-yang says Taipei misallocates many resources

Taipei City Hospital's "Edible Oil Health Consultation Clinic," launched on July 30, has drawn sharp criticism after only four patients sought consultations by August 14, leading to accusations of wasted medical resources. Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Po-yang of the Democratic Progressive Party lambasted the city's resource allocation, calling it a prime example of misplaced priorities that undermine municipal efficiency. "There are many [such issues], I'm afraid I can't finish talking about them," Shen stated when asked about other instances of resource misallocation in Taipei. He cited flood control and cultural industry investments as further examples where the city government has prioritized incorrectly. Shen, accompanied by local legislators and councilors at a temple visit, addressed the media on the clinic's low attendance. He also commented on a separate food safety issue involving carcinogens found in rice noodles, criticizing the city government's initial lack of action. While the health bureau later announced recalls and investigations, Shen argued that effective food safety requires robust information integration, inspection, and follow-up – processes he believes are lacking under the current administration. He questioned Mayor Chiang Wan-an's commitment to food safety, suggesting the mayor's focus is elsewhere, particularly when Chiang announced he would be in Hualien to address food safety concerns there. Shen contrasted the low turnout at the oil clinic with the city's response to flooding, where he argued resources should have focused on drainage and early warnings rather than just distributing sandbags. He also pointed to declining key performance indicators in cultural industry investments as evidence of mismanagement.

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There are many [such issues], I'm afraid I can't finish talking about them.