Yaung, who announced his surprise resignation Monday, said at a hastily called news conference that he felt bad over leaving his post before completing the scheduled briefing.

"It is inappropriate for me to offer to resign before finishing my work. It shows a lack of respect for the country," Yaung said.

In his March 8 resignation statement, Yaung cited as a major factor in his decision his disagreement with Premier Wu Den-yih on how the national health insurance premiums should be adjusted to bolster the cash-strapped program.

According to Yaung, the DOH could not go along with Wu's insistence that 75 percent of the people should be unaffected by the planned increases and that only the wealthiest 25 percent should be made to pay more.

Yaung said Monday he could only assure Wu that 59 percent of the insured would remain unaffected by the premium hikes.

On Wednesday, Yaung said the Presidential Office is scheduled to call a meeting March 17 of senior government officials and members of the ruling Kuomintang's legislative caucus to discuss the health premium adjustment issue.

Besides the DOH-drafted reform package, the Executive Yuan-proposed version and a proposal that includes different premium rates for different income levels will also be discussed at next Wednesday's meeting, Yaung said.

Stressing that the health insurance premium adjustment plan is by no means aimed at enhancing wage earners' financial burden, Yaung said Taiwan's widely accalimed health insurance system may collapse if the premium rates are not raised soon.

Yaung said some of his foreign friends have offered views on how to overhaul Taiwan's health insurance system. "I will convey the advice to President Ma at the upcoming meeting," Yaung added.

Asked whether he will stay on his post, Yaung did not answer directly, saying instead that it was a personal matter unworthy of public discussion.

He said he was more concerned about keeping the national health insurance program afloat not only because it was related to public health but also because it is critical to protecting people from becoming financially destitute due to illness.

Premier Wu has rejected Yaung's resignation, but Yaung said he will continue his onging leave of absence until March 17.

As of the end of last year, the national health insurance program had accumulated a debt of NT$58.8 billion (US$1.84 billion) and the amount may zoom to an estimated NT$101.5 billion by the end of 2010 if no adjustment is made.

(By Chen Li-ting and Sofia Wu)