Fooyin Journal of Health Sciences
Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 94-97, August 2010

Ethical Issues of Disaster Medicine: Taiwan's Experience of Typhoon Morakot

  • Joh-Jong Huang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Family Medicine, Yuan's General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Vincent Shieh

      Affiliations

    • Graduate Institute of Gender Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ming-Yii Huang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding authors. Ming-Yii Huang and Huei-Wen Angela Lo, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Huei-Wen Angela Lo

      Affiliations

    • Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding authors. Ming-Yii Huang and Huei-Wen Angela Lo, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan

Received 25 December 2010; received in revised form 9 January 2011; accepted 11 January 2011.

Article Outline

In Taiwan, there are sufficient supplies and well-trained medical professional manpower to be mobilized during disasters. Also known and famous in the world are Taiwan's well established and fully equipped medical delivery system and the public health system. These are high level, enthusiastic, experienced medical staff. However, vulnerable areas subjected to disasters in Taiwan are often located at the remote mountain sites, and most victims are aboriginals. These people are viewed as marginalized with inferiority within the power hierarchy. This study surveyed the conflicts of public health administration during Typhoon Morakot disaster in 2009. Since disasters destroyed local endogenous social relationships, the rescue actions of mobilization and postdisaster reconstruction were under the exogenous efforts with “mercy” hegemony. Ethical issues came from the power struggle and practice, and all showed explicit control and suppression characters.

Key Words:  autonomy , disaster , ethics , medical care , power struggle

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PII: S1877-8607(11)60005-2

doi:10.1016/S1877-8607(11)60005-2

Fooyin Journal of Health Sciences
Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 94-97, August 2010

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