The World Health Assembly (WHA), the annual meeting of the World Health Organisation (WHO), will be held from today until May 25 and Taiwan is launching its ninth bid to join the WHO as an observer.

Many might feel strange why Taiwan, a vibrant country both in democracy and economy, doesn't own a WHO membership. This fact signals the unjust and unreasonable treatment of Taiwan's bid to join WHO.

WHO is the most important international organisation in the fields of public health and disease control. Communicable diseases have no regard for geographic or political borders. The outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and avian influenza (bird flu), for example, have taught us a great deal about the importance of working together to prevent and contain the spread of infectious diseases. We cannot afford any loopholes.

Unfortunately, Taiwan has been barred from participating in WHO since 1972 for purely political reasons. This not only violates the health rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan but also constitutes an important missing link in the global network of health and medical care. To exclude the people of Taiwan from the WHO - for whatever reasons - constitutes an act of 'health apartheid' and is both professionally and morally unjustifiable.

The themes of both World Health Day 2005 (April 7) and the debate at the 58th WHA this month focuses on maternal and child health: 'Make every mother and child count'. This visionary statement is commendable and should not be treated as just a slogan. The great cynical irony is why the mothers and children in Taiwan don't count?

At last year's WHA plenary session, in addition to supporting Taiwan's WHO bid, many countries expressed their hope that the WHO would, at least, show flexibility in finding mechanisms to allow Taiwan's medical and public health officials to participate in the technical activities of WHO.

The logic is clear - Taiwan can contribute to the betterment of health condition in the world while deserving to be protected under the health umbrella of WHO. Therefore, we urge that Taiwan's participation in WHO be given its due attention and understanding by the international community.

The writer is the director of information division, of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia.