Taiwanese TV host Blackie Chen apologises for breaking hospital rules with ICU photo

Following his near-fatal heart attack, Taiwanese star Blackie Chen took to Instagram on Sep 14 to recount his "brush with death".

He also shared a photo of his pals, including Wang Leehom and Taiwanese star Jason Tang, as well as his wife Christine Fan, visiting him in the intensive care unit (ICU).

In the picture, the group gathered around Chen as he rested in his hospital bed.

Pretty standard get-well-soon photo, right?

Well, except for one rather curious detail: For some reason, Wang Leehom was standing beside Blackie Chen holding a urinal.

But while that understandably got people asking questions, there was another problem with the photo that Chen apparently hadn't anticipated.

It violated the hospital's visitation rules.

In a recent Instagram Story, the 49-year-old revealed that he had followed his medical team's instructions and was successfully discharged to recover at home.

He thanked everyone for their concern, as well as the medical team at National Taiwan University Hospital for their professional and attentive care and treatment.

“Because of all of you, I was able to leave the hospital safely. I’m truly grateful,” wrote Chen.

The star then addressed the controversy surrounding the photo, which had sparked questions online about whether he and his celebrity friends had received preferential treatment.

“I would also like to offer my sincerest apologies for the photos I posted on social media recently, which violated the hospital’s regulations regarding the inside of wards,” he admitted.

“Due to a moment of personal negligence, I failed to properly follow the hospital’s rules, which caused trouble for the National Taiwan University Hospital management and raised concerns among the public.”

Chen also expressed deep regret and apologised for “taking up valuable medical resources and public attention”.