After the news of actress Barbie Hsu’s (徐熙媛) tragic death from influenza-related pneumonia, Taiwan has seen a rush of those seeking flu vaccines. It’s also sparked legislative debate about whether the CDC still has the budget to adequately meet vaccine demands in the coming year.
In a DPP press conference Wednesday, the KMTs budget slashing was brought up, along with questions about how, and why cuts were made to the CDC. DPP Legislator Kuo Yu-ching (郭昱晴) pointed out that KMT claims of poor COVID-19 vaccine procurement and management, which were used to justify the cuts, were inconsistent with actual vaccination use. Further, she pointed out that while some members claimed not to have cut a penny from the budget, there was a KMT-led proposal to freeze NT$10 million (upwards of US$300,000) of the CDC’s related national vaccine subsidy enrichment project.
DPP Social Welfare Committee member Wang Cheng-hsu (王正旭) also pointed out that the CDC’s original funding of NT$12.1 billion (US$365 million) was shrunk by 30%, or NT$400 million (nearly US$12.2 million), after cuts and fund freezing. A large part of the cuts were to the CDC’s media outreach programs, such as the weekly press briefing held during the COVID pandemic era, but could also affect the agency’s ability to gather and disseminate information on infectious diseases in a timely, efficacious manner. Given that many diseases come from overseas, Wang said, if personnel cannot afford to go overseas and connect with the international community on public health matters, the consequences could be very bad for the Taiwanese public.
In response to the questioning on budget cuts to the CDC and Health Ministry, KMT Caucus Deputy Secretary-General Luo Chih-chang (羅智強) pointed out the vaccines currently being administered were purchased in April last year, and are unaffected by current budget proposals. Luo said the Health Ministry’s influenza vaccine fund is also still under review, and so is as-of-yet unaffected, insisting that “not a penny has been cut.” Luo called on the Health Ministry to review their procurement and implementation rates, and refrain from spreading rumors.
KMT Caucus Secretary General Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) urged the Cabinet to purchase publicly-funded flu vaccines. She stated reassuring and making vaccines available to the public as the most important government job.