A woman working as a caretaker at a guesthouse in Pingtung has accused a local psychiatric hospital of wrongfully detaining and assaulting her for more than a week. The woman, surnamed Ko, reportedly went to the Kenting Police Station seeking help after feeling unwell — but ended up unconscious and later found herself restrained inside the Jia Le Psychiatric Hospital for eight days and seven nights.
According to ETtoday News, Ko said she had been drinking at the guesthouse during her day off when she began to feel discomfort. She decided to walk to the police station for help, explaining that she had a history of nerve pain. However, shortly after, she fainted — and when she woke up, she was already lying in a hospital bed in a psychiatric ward.
Ko claimed she tried to explain that she did not suffer from any mental illness, but no one believed her. She alleged that she was forcibly restrained, fed sedatives, and even beaten twice during her stay.
The guesthouse owner, Mr. Chang, was abroad at the time and only realised something was wrong when he could no longer reach Ko. He asked her brother to file a missing person report. After some investigation, police discovered that Ko had been sent to the Jia Le Psychiatric Hospital by the ambulance police had called that day.
When Mr. Chang rushed to the hospital, he was shocked to find that the staff refused to let Ko leave or even meet visitors, claiming she needed to complete a 14-day treatment. It took six days from the time of the report for him to finally secure her release. When they reunited, he said Ko’s arms and legs were covered in bruises and she appeared heavily sedated, unable to speak coherently.
The Kenting Police Station later stated that Ko had voluntarily requested to be taken to a psychiatric hospital, and that their decision followed standard procedure. However, experts pointed out that even in such cases, both the police and hospital are legally required to notify the health authorities and the patient’s family.
Secretary-General of the Taiwan Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation, Hsi Hua Teng, told ETtoday that denying a patient visitation rights, access to a lawyer, or outside communication violates the Mental Health Act.
Ko has since filed a police report, saying, “I didn’t commit any crime. Why was I treated like a prisoner — tied up and beaten?” She has undergone a medical examination to document her injuries and plans to take legal action against Jia Le Hospital, which has so far declined to comment on the case.
