An investigative report exposes unsanitary practices by hospitals that put patients at risk of cross infection
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/10
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer
(By Wikimedia Commons)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Single-patient-use medical devices are being recycled and reused on patients at hospitals in Taiwan, reported United Evening News.
In a series of investigative reports, reporters Li Shu-jen (李樹人), Chien Hao-cheng (簡浩正), and Chen Jie-ling (陳婕翎) have exposed a common practice among hospitals in Taiwan to recycle and reuse more costly medical products that are intended for single-patient-use only.
The price of a brand-new laparoscopic sealer/divider attached to an electrosurgical unit, an essential medical instrument in most surgical operations, is about NT$ 30,000 (US$1,000). The item is not covered by the universal medical insurance, which means patients have to cover the cost out of pocket.
To cut down the cost for patients, many hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital, would inform patients that there are lower-priced options available, “re-sterilized instruments.” [FULL STORY]
