Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is being detained while on trial on corruption charges, had a kidney stone surgically removed Wednesday, according to Taipei Hospital where the surgery was performed.
Escorted by personnel from the Taipei Detention Center, Ko, 65, arrived at the hospital at around 7 a.m. for preparatory checks before being operated on.
In a statement, the hospital said doctors removed one small stone in a laser surgery that lasted for about 45 minutes.
Sources from the hospital said the stone removed from Ko’s kidney was relatively small at 1 x 0.5 cm in size and would not have easily come out on its own and therefore surgery was necessary.
It described the surgery as successful and said Ko’s hydronephrosis would be improved significantly.
Soon after the procedure, Ko has been sent to a recovery room at 10:23 a.m.
Ko had recently been suffering from hydronephrosis, a condition when urine builds up in the kidneys, sometimes caused by a blockage in the urinary tract.
Ko’s wife Chen Pei-chi (陳佩琪), herself a physician, had repeatedly complained in recent days about the deterioration of her husband’s health and insisted he needed professional medical care or the illness could result in irreversible damage.
After the surgery, Chen thanked the hospital and said doctors suggested that Ko stayed in the hospital for one or two nights for further observation but the patient said he just wanted to stay for one night.
Ko had a double J tube installed to help him feel the need to urinate, the hospital said. The double J tube will remain in Ko’s body for about five days, the hospital added.
Drugs were also prescribed and a schedule was set up for follow-up checks, the hospital said.
On March 30, Ko was allowed to briefly leave the detention center to receive off-site medical treatment after he reported “feeling unwell.”
He was sent back to the detention center the same day as doctors determined his condition was “stable” and did not meet the threshold for a hospital stay.
On March 10, he was allowed to leave the detention center to attend the funeral of his father in Hsinchu. His father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), died aged 92 on Feb. 17.
The former TPP chairman has been detained since September 2024.
He was indicted in December on bribery, embezzlement and breach of trust charges dating back to his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022 and during his run in the 2024 presidential race.
Ko, who denies the charges, made his first appearance at his trial on March 21.
