By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A dentist injured by police during the eviction of protesters from the Executive Yuan last month yesterday said he suspected that the government is trying to revoke his license in “retaliation” for his participation in the Sunflower movement.
Wang Hsin-kai (王心愷) was hit on the head by a police officer and suffered seizures as he lay on the ground awaiting medical help at the Executive Yuan compound.
He was later sent to a nearby hospital.
Wang, who has a clinic in New Taipei City, told a press conference organized by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) that he received a notice on Wednesday from the New Taipei City Government’s Public Health Department asking for information about allegations he has continued to treat clients despite suffering from epilepsy.
If he failed to reply to the investigation request within seven days, the department said that he could lose his dental license, Wang said.
Wang said he had never had a seizure before the night of March 23 and has never said that he suffers from epilepsy, despite what the Chinese-language United Daily News reported.
The health department cited the newspaper story in its request for more information from him.
“I hope the person who complained about their concerns in being treated by me actually exists rather than being a fictional person who was made up,” Wang said.
Wang’s beating by a police officer and his seizure were caught on video, which was played at the press conference.
Chen said New Taipei City Public Health Department Commissioner Lin Sheue-rong (林雪蓉) was unprofessional and “scum.”
“We have a commissioner who cannot tell the difference between epilepsy and post-concussion convulsion,” the lawmaker said, adding that New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) should offer an explanation about the alleged “crackdown”on Wang.
“While the department has accused Wang of violating the Physicians Act (醫師法), it could have avoided threatening Wang with the heaviest penalty. That was why we assumed that this is part of the government’s crackdown on Sunflower movement participants,” attorney Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said.
Huang said he did not rule out seeking state compensation for Wang.
The city’s health department yesterday issued a press release saying that Wang’s case had been referred from the Ministry of Health and Welfare on April 15 and that it has not revoked Wang’s license.