An article on Taiwan’s coronavirus-combating efforts was published July 21 by BMJ Opinion, the column-blog version of The British Medical Journal.
Authored by Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, former Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai, National Health Insurance Administration Director General Lee Po-chang, Taiwan Medical Association President Chiu Tai-yuan and professor Chi Chun-huei of Oregon State University, “What We Can Learn from Taiwan’s Response to the Covid-19 Epidemic” spotlights the effectiveness of the Taiwan Model in managing the pandemic.
Taiwan had 449 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths as of July 7, with no locally transmitted cases reported for 86 consecutive days. The authors contrasted these numbers with more than 14 million cases worldwide and over 610,000 deaths.
Taiwan drew a traumatic but important lesson from the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003, the authors said. This led to the establishment of the Central Epidemic Command Center, as well as the initiation of rapid response measures and upgrades of medical equipment and public health infrastructure, they added.
Contact tracing utilizing the NHI and MediCloud systems—a mobile-based app—also played a key role in the country’s successful approach, the authors said, adding that it allowed for more effective surgical mask allocations, patient diagnosis and treatment.
But at the heart of Taiwan’s strategy was public trust and unity, the authors said. The government, private sector and people came together as one to fight the virus and ensure the health and well-being of all members of society, they added.
BMJ is one of the most prestigious and highly respected medical journals in the world. The opinion spinoff features submissions from the international community of academics and experts. (TYT-E)
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