Lee Ming-liang (Chinese: 李明亮; pinyin: Lǐ Míngliàng; born 26 June 1936) is a Taiwanese geneticist who led the Department of Health from 2000 to 2002. After Lee left office, Taiwan was hit by the 2003 SARS outbreak, and he was named to a committee convened to research the disease.
Lee was appointed Director-General of the Department of Health in April 2000 and took office on 20 May.[1] He launched a committee tasked with improving Taiwan's National Health Insurance, which was in severe debt at the time.[3][4] Soon after Lee assumed his post, an outbreak of enterovirus 71 affected seven counties, during which Lee promoted hand hygiene.[5][6] In June 2000, the Tobacco Hazards Act was revised. Lee promised proper enforcement of the new standards, including members of the Executive Yuan who smoked.[7] In November, the Department of Health approved orlistat, and it became the first diet drug made without phenylpropanolamine to be marketed in Taiwan.[8] The next month, a ban on mifepristone was lifted.[9] During Lee's tenure, microchip health insurance cards were developed and distributed.[10][11]
While he led the Department of Health, Lee worked to expand Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization. In October 2000, Lee submitted a written protest to the agency for leaving Taiwan off a list of polio-free countries, stating that Taiwan should be listed separately from China, which had not yet succeeded in eradicating the disease.[12] Following support from US Representative Sherrod Brown,[13] Lee traveled to Geneva in April 2001 to petition for a larger Taiwanese presence at the World Health Assembly.[14] Though publicly confident, Lee personally admitted that chances of Taiwan securing observer status were "minuscule" and the bid was unsuccessful, as it was never placed on the agenda for discussion.[15][16] The government of the Republic of China announced its intention to donate US$1 million to a WHO health fund under the name Taiwan in April 2002.[17][18] That year the United States again supported Taiwan's bid for WHA observer status.[19][20] Though United States Secretary of Health and Human ServicesTommy Thompson promised to support Taiwan prior to the 2002 World Health Assembly,[21] it was difficult for him to meet Lee during the assembly itself.[22] Lee again stated that it was unlikely for Taiwan to gain observer status in the WHO;[23] though the government applied as a "health entity," it did so under the name Taiwan.[24] Subsequently, Taiwan's sixth overall attempt to join the WHO was denied.[25][26]
Lee, who had first expressed his desire to resign his position in February 2002, did so on 31 August for health reasons.[27][28]
