Life

Taiwan, Europe hold 1st health dialogue in Taipei

DOH Minister Chiu Wen-ta delivers a welcome speech at the Europe-Taiwan Health Dialogue July 10 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of DOH)

• Publication Date：07/11/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Grace Kuo

The Europe-Taiwan Health Dialogue kicked off July 10 in Taipei, its goal to provide a platform where health experts from both sides can exchange views on preventing noncommunicable diseases, according to the ROC Department of Health.

“In recent years, noncommunicable diseases have become one of the world’s major public health threats, and Europe leads the world in the development of public health and health promotion,” DOH Minister Chiu Wen-ta said at the opening ceremony.

The dialogue will help “deepen understanding of different health-related policies and practical implementation options,” he said. “By learning from health developments in Europe and America, and responding to World Health Organization projections on noncommunicable disease threats, we seek to integrate Taiwan’s disease control efforts to overcome the challenges of an aging society and achieve better health quality in Taiwan.”

Chiu also noted that Taiwan has been “enthusiastically participating” in the annual European Health Forum Gastein since 2002. The newly created dialogue can be seen as an extension of the EHFG, he said.

Established in 1988, the European Health Forum Gastein has provided a platform for discussion of public health and health care for various stakeholders, including politicians, senior decision-makers, representatives of interest groups and experts from government, business, industry and civil society, Chiu noted. It has become a most important health policy event as well as a convention for European health leaders over the past decade, he added.

According to 2011 WHO statistics, NCDs account for 80 percent of all deaths worldwide. Among these, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes are the four main killers, accounting for 63 percent of all NCD-related deaths.

“Smoking, lack of exercise, unhealthy diets, and improper use of alcohol are the most crucial factors for the cause of NCDs,” Chiu said.

He said that Taiwan has taken many steps over the years to reduce the premature mortality rate caused by NCDs, including levying a cigarette tax, subsidizing health services related to NCD prevention and implementing sound health policies such as the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.

Headed by Gunther Leiner, founder of the EHFG, participants at the event include Helmut Brand, professor of European public health at Maastricht University; Katja Bromen, policy officer of the Tobacco Control Team European Commission; Milan Cabrnoch, member of European Parliament; Walter Ricciardi, president of European Public Health Association; Harry Rutter, founder and director of the UK National Obesity Observatory, and Marjan Sedmak, president of AGE Platform Europe.

The dialogue runs until July 11. (HZW)

Write to Grace Kuo at mlkuo@mofa.gov.tw