First mainland direct medical flight arrived in Taiwan
(AP/Reuters)
Updated: 2006-09-14 19:55 A Chinese mainland aircraft
arrived in Taiwan on Thursday in the first medical emergency flight between the
longtime rivals, Taiwan's "government" said.
A Taiwanese businessperson's 70-year-old relative, surnamed Chen, was flown
from the southern mainland city of Guangzhou to Taipei, accompanied by
medical personnel from the mainland, the government said.
The Chinese aircraft arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport near
Taipei during the evening, according to the "Mainland Affairs Council" -
the "government body" in charge of relations with the Chinese mainland.
Chen will be treated for a brain hemorrhage at the Veterans' General Hospital
in Taipei, the MAC said.
A Taiwanese with a medical emergency in south China would normally take a
road ambulance to Macau or Hong Kong, then fly home, adding three or four hours
to the total travel time, according to Thurday's Guangzhou-Taipei flight
operator, Singapore-based International SOS.
"We've waited a long time for this," said Keynes Chen, general manager with
International SOS in Taiwan. "The feeling is quite exciting. This is a good
thing for cross-Straits exchange."
On June 15 this year, Taiwan agreed to allow direct cargo flights on a
case-by-case basis and passenger flights during four major holidays, including
the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Taipei and Beijing also agreed to allow
special emergency medical and humanitarian aid charter flights.
All medical flights need special approval from both sides, a process that
involves multiple government agencies and takes about three days, said Corinna
Wei, spokeswoman for the Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.
Chinese authorities had not decided on an application to let Taiwan citizens
injured in a northeast China traffic accident on Monday fly directly home, Wei
said.
The wreck killed two people from Taiwan and injured 18.
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