Taipei, Jan. 10 (CNA) Two medical groups in Taiwan recently protested against a unilateral decision by the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT) to change their national profile in their membership listing from "Taiwan" to "Chinese Taipei."
Tu Chun-yuan (杜俊元), head of the Taiwan Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (TAMRT), told reporters Sunday that his group is now listed on the ISRRT website under the designation of "Chinese Taipei-TAMRT," instead of "Taiwan-TAMRT."
Another Taiwanese medical organization, the Taiwan Society of Radiological Technologists (TWSRT), was also subjected to the same change, from "Taiwan-TWSRT" to "Chinese Taipei-TWSRT," he said.
The two Taiwanese groups were informed last March by the ISRRT about the decision and received a formal letter in December, notifying them that the change would be carried out, according to Tu.
The two groups have filed protests with the ISRRT but have not received a response, he said.
The ISRRT was founded in 1962 and recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a non-government organization.
According to Tu, five years ago, the ISRRT asked the two Taiwanese groups to change their national description, but they were able to resolve the matter in face-to-face discussions with ISRRT officers at international meetings.
This time, however, they have not had such an opportunity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Tu expressed concern that Taiwan's academic accomplishments in the field of radiology may be mistakenly attributed to another country, in the future, because of the change.
In a letter of notification to the two Taiwan groups, the ISRRT said it must comply with WHO rules, in order to maintain its relations with the global health body.
One solution to the problem is to change the national description of the groups from "Taiwan" to "Chinese Taipei," a nomenclature that is used by Taiwan in the Olympic Games, the ISRRT said in the letter, which was posted on the TWSRT's Facebook page.
The WHO, a United Nations special agency that partially funds the ISRRT, does not recognize Taiwan as a country but rather as a "province of China."
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday that it has instructed Taiwan's representative office in the United Kingdom, where the headquarters of the ISRRT is located, to demand that the national description of the two Taiwanese groups on its website be restored.
