Taiwanese Surgeon Criticizes Misuse of Medical Terms During Protest Hunger Strike

Wu Hsin-tai, a candidate for Taipei City Councilor and a cardiovascular surgeon, has strongly condemned the misuse of medical terms and practices during a recent hunger strike protest. While acknowledging that sending dehydrated participants to the hospital was the correct decision, she criticized the protest's narrative, which she described as rife with incorrect medical conventions and terminology.

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In Taiwan, 'forced hospitalization' has extremely strict legal requirements, limited to very few regulations such as the Mental Health Act, the Communicable Disease Control Act, or the Police Powers Act. Adults who are conscious have full autonomy over their medical care and can refuse examinations and hospitalization; no physician has the right to force them to seek medical attention.

Wu specifically addressed the claim of "forced hospitalization," stating that such actions have strict legal requirements in Taiwan, typically limited to mental health, infectious disease, or police authority laws. She asserted that conscious, adult patients have the right to refuse examination or hospitalization, and no doctor can force them to seek medical care. Wu pointed out that some protesters were conscious and wished to continue, while others voluntarily walked to the hospital after bowing to the crowd, characterizing these actions as "informed consent" and "recommended medical attention," not forced hospitalization.

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A systolic blood pressure of 110 is a textbook-level excellent number; many doctors are happy to see patients with this reading.

She further criticized a legislator's statement that a protester's blood pressure of 110 was "below normal and close to fainting." Wu explained that a systolic blood pressure below 120 is considered normal, and 110 is a healthy reading. She questioned the medical professionalism of a fellow surgeon who, she alleged, spread misinformation for political gain. Wu also addressed a reported blood sugar reading of "17," stating that a person with such a low level would be in a critical state, not conversing normally. She suggested that external factors like sweat, beverages, or even insect repellent could interfere with finger-prick tests, leading to inaccurate results.

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A person with a blood sugar of only 17 would be sweating, disoriented, or even comatose, not sitting there conversing normally.

Regarding blood sugar readings around "53," Wu clarified that while this level indicates clinically significant hypoglycemia requiring immediate attention, it does not automatically mean severe consequences like shock or irreversible brain damage, especially if the individual remains conscious. She explained that the body adapts to prolonged fasting by burning fat for energy, which can sustain brain function. Wu concluded by urging politicians to cease using medical procedures as props for political theater, emphasizing that the misrepresentation of medical facts burdens frontline healthcare workers and erodes public trust in medical professionalism.

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Medical conventions are professionalism accumulated through the experience and lessons of countless medical personnel, not props that politicians can arbitrarily use for better visuals.