Premier Cho Jung-tai pledged that the government would integrate interministerial resources to ensure that policies are directed toward achieving the goals of the Executive Yuan’s Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan, passed in March 2025.
The EY said that Cho made the remarks while chairing the central government’s 21st meeting on cancer prevention Dec. 29 in Taipei City. Cho also noted that for 43 consecutive years, cancer has been the top cause of death in Taiwan, with more than 50,000 people dying of the disease each year.
The premier said that the government expanded services such as free cancer screenings this year in addition to strengthening post-screening monitoring and treatment. As of December this year approximately 5.87 million citizens have received checkups, up 25.2 percent from 2024, the premier said.
The committee meeting also featured a briefing by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on strategies to reinforce the country’s cancer prevention strategy, after which Cho directed the MOHW to continue its work to encourage more citizens to take advantage of screenings as a means to enhance cancer survival rates. The EY said that the premier also instructed the MOHW to keep track of the latest developments in cancer treatments with an eye toward funding new drugs.
Prompted by a presentation from the Ministry of Environment on a plan to prevent air pollution, Cho called on the ministry to incorporate preventative medicine and other public health measures into the scheme. According to the EY, the Ministry of Labor also briefed committee members on creating work environments that accommodate the needs of cancer patients, as well as on methods to increase screening rates among employees. (POC-E)
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