In 2020, Taiwan is fully engaged in the fight against the Wuhan pneumonia virus outbreak, and at this point in time, we also recall the outbreak of SARS cluster infection at the Peace Hospital 17 years ago. Through the two documentaries "Peace Storm" and "Crossing peace", we see how the bureaucracy has led to the loss of innocent lives in time and again in wrong decisions, and thus discusses the historical warning that the system is linked to human life.

In December 2019, a new type of coronavirus (commonly known as Wuhan pneumonia) broke out in China, and on January 21, 2020, Taiwan had its first confirmed case, and the outbreak continues to expand globally. In the face of Wuhan's closure and restrictions on exits, the Taiwanese government has drawn up a policy of bringing back local Taiwanese businessmen, emphasizing that the elderly and the weak, long-term drug use and other needs are preferred. However, it was only when the plane arrived in Taiwan on 3 February that it was discovered that the list was different from the original one.

According to the Central News Agency , the list of unrelated confirmed cases appeared on the plane , with Xu Body , the central coordinating member of Hubei Taiwan compatriots returning to Taiwan , becoming the subject of much attention . In this case, the respective responsibilities of official and civil associations, the resolution process is still being clarified, and the discussion sympathies between bureaucratic policies and people's basic right to life were also held at the Taipei Peace Hospital 17 years ago.

On 22 April 2003, the news that seven health care and administrative staff members in the Peace Hospital hospital had been infected with SARS came to light, and on 24 April the Executive Council and the Taipei Municipal Government jointly announced that they needed to be closed for two weeks and forced the return of full medical staff to be quarantined. At that time, a total of 1170 people were kept in the cordon and exposed to high-risk cross-infection without adequate isolation equipment in the hospital.

What the hell happened? Through the two documentaries of "Peace Storm" and "Crossing peace" directed by Gu Guowei and "Crossing peace" by Zhu Xianzhe, the answer is called out -- in the outbreak of the epidemic, the panic of the people, the misjudgment of the bureaucracy, the failure of the upper echelons and other factors, resulting in the sacrifice of innocent human rights and human life. Now the situation of pneumonia in Wuhan is tense, even if Taiwan's response to the outbreak increased in a comprehensive manner, but human greed, abuse of power, there are still deep problems that need our common attention. Today, we look back at the SARS Peace Hospital incident documentary and talk about the historical warning of the link between the system and human life.


Photo by Screenshot from Crossing peace

Out-of-control outbreaks, and the bureaucrats who kick each other's responsibilities.

The outbreak of the outbreak in the Peace Hospital can be traced back to the day of April 9, when a woman surnamed Cao, who had been infected with SARS, was admitted to the hospital, and on April 16, the Liu surnamed laundry worker at the Peace Hospital had a high fever and did not return, and the hospital did not carry out isolation and corresponding control. The next day, the corresponding medical staff in the hospital developed symptoms of high fever, but the hospital still said that "there are no SARS patients in the hospital."

In addition, on April 20, Taiwan hosted the world's first international SARS seminar, emphasizing the 30 pride record of "zero deaths, zero output, zero cell infection" in control of the outbreak. Ironically, the outbreak at the Peace Hospital has spread rapidly in a situation of misjudgment and lack of real-time handling.

Did the hospital deliberately conceal the outbreak at that time? The answer is too late to reveal, and hospitals are ready to move on to the next more helpless state.

After the closure of the Peace Hospital on 22 April, 1,170 people who were detained appeared to be in anarchy.

At the beginning of The Peace Storm, i visited the medical staff who were in isolation at the time, and recalled what they saw after the news of the hospital' announcement: "We don't know who is sick, we don't know if we have contact, I don't know if I'm going to pass it on to someone else." Nutritionist Liao Caixuan and others mentioned that at that time, they did not get transparent information about the infected, the government did not propose the corresponding isolation package;


Photo: Dazhi Image

An epidemiologist who entered the Peace Hospital at the time, He Meixiang, said in an interview that she saw a vision that she would never forget: "The whole state is a hospital where the normal system has collapsed." Although you go to every ward, there are nurses and doctors there, but because of its limited relationship, whether it is poor communication, or things can not be delivered, anyway, it is a very difficult situation. 」

"I think it's a very dark room in retrospect. 」

And a chaotic policy, in fact, also reflects the responsibility of the upper layer to each other to kick the ball.

After the Executive Council and the Taipei Municipal Government jointly issued the closure policy, who took over the peace hospital? Is it central or local? Why is an epidemic area in dire need of management leading to anarchy without leadership? In this regard, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou and Secretary-General of the Executive Council Liu Shifang each said their own words, no one is willing to take responsibility.

"Dr. Run away" Zhou Jingkai: I'm a physician, but I also have a basic right to life

As a result, the dissatisfaction and uneasiness of the medical staff rose sharply and a protest campaign was launched within 24 hours of the closure, but the then Mayor of Taipei, Ma Ying-jeou, responded that "epidemic prevention is like combat, and if there is an action of resistance, we regard it as an enemy", and at the same time when the medical staff respond to the needs of manpower to the Secretary for Health, only in exchange for "the war. Emo can help" response, even more blame.

Zheng Murache, a labour activist, also said that the overall incident could see that leaders did not understand the real situation of grass-roots workers;


Photo by Screenshot from Peace Storm


Photo by Screenshot from Peace Storm

"Crossing Peace" records the perspective and views of Zhou Jingkai, a "fallen doctor" who did not want to return to the hospital at the time, and indirectly exposed the human rights issues behind the whole policy. Zhou Jingkai in the city government announced the convening of all medical staff in the central isolation of the moment, people are not in the hospital, he also judged that he should not go back. However, the result of "anti-death" is to accept the punishments of two large-scale dismissals, suspension of business and a fine of $240,000 in the North City Government. Mr Chow refused to appeal and expressed his intention to the High Court to express his position.

"I'll decide whether to go back, and if i go back, even if i'm afraid, I'm going back." 」

What we can discuss here is what is the most fundamental purpose of the Government's recall of health care workers at that time? "If it is to be isolated, but the conditions are inadequate, it will only expose each other to a high risk of cross-infection. If you have a need for medical care, but the recalled person, you don't even know whether he is healthy or not, still need to be quarantined, then how can he take care of other patients? 」

Zhou Jingkai is a doctor under the municipal hospital, belongs to the public servants, need to obey the government instructions. But when there are clearly many contradictions behind this directive today, we will not be talking about "obedience and disobedience" but humanity.

In June 2005, the Taipei Higher Administrative Court ruled that the Taipei municipal government had lost the case, revoked Zhou's suspension and given him a fair case. However, in addition to The Doctor, there are many medical staff, patients and family members who have been forcibly quarantined, and the physical and mental injuries, stigmas, etc. suffered during this period have not been properly explained and compensated.

Peace Hospital medical staff: "SARS is not terror, terror is human greed, weakness and selfishness"

When I was isolated in Building A, I thought I might not be alive, so I wrote this diary.

In the "Crossing peace" documentary, interspersed with the diary of Lin Binghong, a pediatrician at the Peace Hospital, reveals what the medical staff saw and what they were like and what they were like. At the beginning of the outbreak, the Peace Hospital was concentrated in Building B, while Lin Binghong, who was in Building A at the time, saw the interaction between the two buildings and the helpless cross-infection was taking place uncontrolled.


Photo by Screenshot from Crossing peace

On April 30, the whole hospital was broadcast, and all Building A staff were re-counted for 14 days from today. This must not have been related to the patient who died in the A5 intensive care unit yesterday. Hearing this news, Building A's staff rebounded a lot, lasted 7 days, did not expect to extend for another 14 days, all efforts are zero.

What kind of world was it inside the peace hospital, which was abandoned by the whole society? Clearly is a high-risk area of virus concentration, but not configured to proper isolation equipment, clearly can have a more correct protection policy, but today is just all lives tied together, in the fear, helplessness and anxiety of the mood, they call for help, disorderly law, in the body and mind have been greatly damaged.

talk of a retreat, and every time it gave us a lot of hope. It was only at the end of the day that I found myself lying in the same bed on the A612.
A-Building, and A2 came out of a person who regularly travelled to and from AB Building to cover up his fever for three days, only to be found in a serious condition. And I'm tired enough not to think. I just had a dream, a dream I didn't want to believe.


Photo: Dazhi Image

The overall incident at the Peace Hospital was eventually completed on 8 May of the same year when the last group of medical staff was evacuated, the hospital was thoroughly disinfected and the outbreak was temporarily ended. A total of 150 people were infected and 35 died in the hospital, including 7 health care workers and 1 patient who committed suicide.

Lin Binghong once wrote this passage in his diary:

"SARS is not terror, terror is human greed, weakness, selfishness, and blame for the disasters derived from others. Take this rude centralized isolation hospital as the best example. 」

Today, 17 years after the end of SARS, we are once again facing the onsgoing outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, and past experience has repeatedly reminded us that in addition to the need for professional health care system support, more importantly, from policy to implementation, from bureaucrats to the people, all of us to the protection of the basic human right to life. This difficulty is for all people to share together, we can through more people and love, together through this challenge.