Taiwan Celebrates RTSROC Annual Meeting & Associated Activities
By Chia-Chen Chu, MS, SRRT, FAARC
Governor for Taiwan, International Council for Respiratory Care

On December 13, 2015, the Respiratory Therapy Society of the Republic of China (RTSROC) held its Annual Professional Congress to correspond with the recognition and celebration of Respiratory Care Week activities promoting respiratory therapy. This rich tradition dates back to December 21, 2001, the inaugural date of the third reading of the Respiratory Therapist Law by the Taiwan Legislature, which established official government recognition of the RT profession and the organization’s designation as an official Society.

CMU RC Professor Chia-Chen Chu poses with, from left to right, RC Medical Director Dr. Te-Chun Hsia, President Sullivan, Dean of the Health Care College Dr.Wu-Chung Shen, and RC Professor ChinJung Liu

This recognition could not have been accomplished without the tireless, decade-long hard work and effort of the predecessor organization, the Respiratory Care Association of the Republic of China, or RCAROC. The Association was established on April 1, 1991, as a professional group committed to quality improvement in clinical care and the promotion of the respiratory therapy profession. Recognition by the government was an immense and significant step forward in ensuring the improvement of respiratory care for patients in Taiwan who are afflicted with pulmonary disease. Therefore, by Decree, the anniversary of the event is recognized as Respiratory Therapist Day in Taiwan. Every year the RTSROC Annual Meeting is held in conjunction with the celebration of this day, and the respiratory therapy department of China Medical University (CMU) organizes Respiratory Care Week activities to promote the profession. In 2015 the president of the International Council for Respiratory Care, Jerome M. Sullivan, PhD, RRT, FAARC, was invited to participate in the RTSROC Annual Meeting, celebrate Respiratory Therapist Day, and partake in Respiratory Care Week activities.