Contracting-out Correctional Institutions’ Medical Practices:A Case Study of the Taichung Prison Medical Treatment Special Quarter

• Main Authors: LI JIN-YI, 李進益
• Other Authors: CHENG WANG
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/74989934342952000295

碩士 === 開南大學 === 公共事務管理學系碩士班 === 95 === Correctional institution is a centralized area with high density population, so its health care and medical treatments should be highly regarded. However, due to the lack of expertise, budget, and facilities, Taiwan’s correctional institutions’ medical treatment had never met the standard of what it should be, and it often caused disputes and complains from family members of prisoners. In order to solve the problem, in 2003 the Ministry of Justice established the Taichung Prison Medical Treatment Special Quarter to provide out-patient service, emergency call, blood test and analysis, dialysis, health checkup, surgical operation, etc. The whole medical treatment business was contracted to the China Medical University Hospital. The contracting-out of the Taichung Prison Medical Treatment Special Quarter has not only enhanced the economic efficiency but also provided prisoners speedy and improved medical services. Through the share of common values, the Taichung Prison and the China Medical University Hospital have built up a tight public-private partnership. Of course, the Medical Treatment Special Quarter is supervised by a monitoring mechanism to ensure its smooth operation. Based on the successful experience of the Taichung Prison Medical Treatment Special Quarter, this thesis suggests the Ministry of Justice build more medical treatment special quarters in various cities by utilizing local medical resources. In order to provide prisoners higher quality medical service, such medical treatment special quarters can seek for cooperation from regional medical centers. The medical treatment special quarters can open their services to the public. In addition, the private contractors should even be allowed to contract out certain services to energize their businesses. As to the difficulty of collecting medical bills, this thesis also recommends the Ministry of Justice review its rules to specify the rights and obligations of prisoner patients. By doing so, it will reduce the government’s financial burden.