Health insurance cards marked with notice that the holder does not want to receive emergency treatment in the terminal stage of life will be legally binding, a Department of Health (DOH) official said Thursday. Shih Chung-liang, director of the DOH's Medical Affairs Bureau, made the remarks following the passage of an amendment to the Hospice and Palliative Care Act by the Executive Yuan earlier in the day. 'The marking will be seen as a written statement by the patient that clearly indicates his or her will,' Shih said. 'When the family members of the patient express different views during the treatment process, medical personnel will make their decisions based on the patient's will, ' Shih said, adding that patients can still change their minds and accept treatment. Shih noted that as of May, around 40,000 people had made prior statements on hospice and palliative care and had marked their health insurance cards. The number of those who have the desire but have not clearly expressed their wills should exceed that number, he added. He cited cancer patients as an example, saying that more than 40,000 people die from cancer in Taiwan every year. 'The DOH has estimated that about 70 percent of terminally ill cancer patients want to give up emergency treatment as they approach their final stage of life,' he said. He noted that giving up emergency treatment such as invasive intubation and defibrillation does not mean giving up treatment altogether and that palliative treatment such as medicine will still be administered. Under the DOH's plan, patients can apply to have their cards marked at local Bureau of National Health Insurance offices or can ask the hospital to apply for them. The amendment was expected to be approved by the Legislative Yuan. 