Former first lady Wu Shu-jen discharged from hospital

Tainan, Aug. 18 (CNA) Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), wife of former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), was discharged from a Tainan hospital Monday morning after being admitted a few days earlier when she collapsed at her residence.

The Sin-Lau Hospital, where she received treatment, confirmed that Wu has returned home for recuperation after her family handled relevant procedures.

The 73-year-old Wu reportedly collapsed on the afternoon of Aug. 15, according to the Tainan City Government Fire Bureau.

As she had no pulse and was not breathing, a call handler provided first aid instructions over the phone while dispatching paramedics and an ambulance to the scene, the bureau said.

Wu was resuscitated en route to the hospital and conscious on arrival, the bureau said.

Wu and Chen's son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), said in a Facebook post on Aug. 16 that postural hypotension is a serious complication for people with spinal cord injuries, and potentially fatal.

Wu has been in a wheelchair since a 1985 accident at a post-election event for her husband that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

In 2011, Wu was sentenced to a total of 17 years and six months in prison and fined NT$154 million (US$5.13 million) for corruption, but was deemed unfit for incarceration due to health issues.

She also received a two-year sentence in a separate money laundering case, which was remanded by the Supreme Court for retrial.

During the third trial, her lawyer successfully appealed for a suspension of proceedings on health grounds, which the High Court granted in 2024.