A 28-year-old computer engineer from Taiwan, who was in critical
condition after breaking down with vascular disease, was sent home
from southwestern China early Monday morning on a direct chartered
flight.
The plane, an Airbus 320 of Taiwan TransAsia Airways, took off
from the Shuangliu airport of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan
province, at about 3 a.m. and is expected to have arrived at Taiwan
Taoyuan International Airport around 6 a.m.
Aboard the plane, Tang Mingneng, who was diagnosed with arterial
tumour at Sichuan Huaxi Hospital, was accompanied by his family
members and four medical personnel with International SOS rescue
agency.
Tang worked as an engineer for a Taiwan-based laptop computer
repair company and came to Chengdu on March 22 for technology
backup. He suddenly fell ill last Tuesday and was hospitalized
Wednesday.
Doctors said Tang's condition had been stable but predicted
massive haemorrhage could happen at any time. Tang's brother
visited him last Thursday and said the family wished Tang would
receive an operation in Taiwan. He applied for an emergency
chartered flight, and the plan was promptly approved in two
days.
The authorities of the two sides began allowing cross-Strait
chartered flights for medical emergencies last June. More than six
such flights had taken nearly 20 patients across the Strait so
far.
(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2007)