By KHT Staff. AI illustration/Wiki Commons.
KAOHSIUNG — A Ministry of Health and Welfare investigation has found multiple failures after two patients died following bariatric surgery at Antai Hospital (安泰醫院) in Kaohsiung last year.
The report stated that the surgeon, surnamed Wang (王), applied loose standards in determining whether patients were suitable for surgery, failed to adequately assess surgical risks, and that the medical team lacked sufficient alertness and response capacity during post-operative care, according to China Times.
The two deaths occurred in June and July last year after Wang performed stomach-reduction and intestinal-bypass surgeries, commonly known in Taiwan as “縮胃曠腸” procedures.
The patients were a 33-year-old woman with a BMI of 37.89 and a 41-year-old woman with a BMI of 31.79. Both had first visited a bariatric surgery department at Botian International Hospital (博田國際醫院) in 2024 before later receiving surgery at Antai Hospital.
Both patients’ conditions worsened two days after surgery. They were transferred to other hospitals for emergency treatment, but later died.
The ministry report said the cases involved possible over-treatment and cited concerns under the Physicians Act (醫師法). It also said pre-operation evaluations were incomplete, and medical records did not fully show the patients’ conditions or the assessment process.
According to the report, neither patient had other medical records for nearly a year before going to Antai Hospital, but both received surgery soon after visiting the hospital.
The investigation also found that Wang’s clinic and surgery times overlapped, and that surgery consent forms were not signed according to the hospital’s usual procedures.
The report said both patients were under post-operation care for one to two days before transfer was considered, and that the timing of transfer was too late, affecting their prognosis.
It also said the hospital had limited equipment and staffing and lacked sufficient capacity to care for patients whose conditions became critical.
The report identified a contract arrangement between Antai Hospital and the bariatric surgery team as a system-level problem. The surgery team’s staffing, medical equipment, and materials were handled by Wang, which the report said weakened the hospital’s ability to manage the team and oversee quality of care.
The Kaohsiung Health Bureau and a medical disciplinary committee previously decided to revoke Wang’s medical practice permit and refer the case to prosecutors for investigation.
Antai Hospital declined to comment, according to the China Times.
