Following a series of corruption scandals that involve at least four public hospital directors, the Department of Health has commissioned an examination of the procurement procedures in all 28 DOH-administered hospitals around the island, and the results are scheduled to be announced in June.

To understand the interaction among the medical professional groups, Department of Health has begun its prepatory work.

The commissioners of the task force would personally visit each DOH-affiliated hospitals and the survey is expected to take two weeks to complete, before May.

But honorary vice superintendent of Chang-Gung Hospital in Kaohsiung Dr. Chen Shun-sheng believes the examination may not be sufficient, saying that many hospitals have inspection and approval systems which specify a transparent process for doctors to travel abroad or attend seminars held by pharmaceutical companies.

In terms of the bidding system of hospitals, which drew much criticism from the public, the Department of Health says now the medicines of the DOH hospitals are purchased under a joint bidding system, in which hospitals would take turns to form a bidding committee, which would reduce chances of pharmaceutical and doctors' corruption in the health care system.