Something remarkable occurred in Geneva on May 19, 2009 when Yeh Ching-chuan, then minister of the Republic of China’s (ROC) Department of Health, addressed the World Health Assembly (WHA), the World Health Organization’s (WHO) governing body, as his speech marked Taiwan’s first participation in any United Nations-affiliated health body since 1971, when political pressures resulted in the ROC leaving the WHO.
On March 22 this year, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan sent a letter to Minister of Health Yaung Chih-liang inviting renewed participation at this year’s meeting scheduled for May 17−22. The significance of Taiwan’s greater participation in the international health network, however, extends far beyond its presence as an observer at the last two WHA meetings. Some four months before the 2009 WHA meeting, for example, the ROC’s Centers for Disease Control received word that Taiwan would be included in the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR), the WHO’s legal framework for fighting infectious diseases. Furthermore, gaining WHA observer status has enabled local health experts to take part in technical conferences, clinical studies and training programs aimed at combating influenza A virus subtype H1N1.
Taiwan’s continued participation in the WHA and WHO disease control regimes is important for three reasons, the first of which is protecting the health of the island’s residents. Taiwan is a major air and sea transport hub, which means that communicable diseases can arrive and spread quickly.
The second reason for including Taiwan is that it eliminates a gap in the global health system. If Taiwan were unable to receive alerts and legal guidelines through the IHR framework and could not attend WHO conferences on infectious diseases, it would be less prepared to help halt the spread of international epidemics.
The third reason for Taiwan’s participation is the medical expertise it offers to other countries. In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January this year, on January 19 the Asian Wall Street Journal reported: “A Taiwanese medical NGO has dispatched 40 doctors to give medical exams to survivors.” And as Time magazine reported on January 21 this year, “Taiwan’s role in helping rebuild Haiti is a good showcase for the nation’s capabilities, blessed, as it is, with a sophisticated pool of trained scientists, engineers and doctors.” Moreover, in November 2009, the Department of Health announced it would donate 500,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine developed by local company Adimmune Corp. to needy countries through the WHO. The ROC government has invested in Adimmune by purchasing stock, a move that has borne fruit as Taiwan has become one of just a dozen countries around the world capable of manufacturing human vaccines. It was partially through WHO assistance that Adimmune was able to obtain the H1N1 virus stock required for creating the vaccine.
It is indisputable that the flexible diplomacy employed by ROC President Ma Ying-jeou’s administration in relations with mainland China has helped Taiwan in the international arena. As the Time article put it, “Taiwan has benefited … from a thaw in relations with Beijing since Ma came to power in a 2008 landslide election.” One of those benefits is greater access to global health institutions like the WHA. The administration’s pragmatic approach has resulted in the expansion of Taiwan’s international relations, improved health protection at home, filled a gap in the international disease prevention system and helped provide medical assistance to countries in need.
Continuing this trend would have clear health benefits, not just for people in Taiwan, but also for those around the world.