President Lai Ching-te attended a symposium organized by the Taiwan Public Hospital Association Dec. 21, at which he noted that public hospitals shoulder responsibility for epidemic prevention, rural medical care and major public health incidents, thus holding an important place in protecting the nation’s health.
Lai, who himself worked as a doctor, said that the administration will continue to upgrade healthcare in four aspects: Firstly, the public healthcare system health insurance budget will be expanded. It rose by 5.5 percent this year, and will increase by NT$19.9 billion (US$631 million) in 2026.
Secondly, to improve medical service capacity and personnel training, pay will be improved to strengthen overall resilience, improve working conditions and retain staff. Thirdly, sharing and integration of information from all medical centers, regional hospitals and clinics in Taiwan will be upgraded to further improve the efficiency and quality of medical services.
Lai noted that there is already a strong foundation for this and the country’s Covid-19 epidemic prevention was outstanding due to the 99 percent national health insurance system coverage which allowed for information sharing. On this strong existing foundation, different systems should also be connected to improve efficiency and strengthen resilience. Lastly, the administration plans to invest NT$48.9 billion over the next five years in personnel training, improvement of service environment, smart care and social responsibility.
The president also noted a further plan to budget NT$24 billion over four years to focus on manufacturing and storage of pharmaceutical raw materials and regulation to align with international standards, thus maintaining resilience in the face of natural disasters or geopolitical changes. (POC-E)
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