Taiwan will share its experiences on health issues during the upcoming World Health Assembly conference in Geneva, Switzerland, with a view to boosting professional and international cooperation, Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang said May 13.
The health minister made the remarks at a news conference held on the eve of the departure of Taiwan’s delegation to the 63rd WHA slated to begin May 17. The 15-member delegation will participate in the WHA as an observer under the name “Chinese Taipei.”
Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, officially invited Taiwan in March to participate in this year’s conference, and this would be the second time for Taiwan to be in the WHA, according to Yaung.
Former Minister of Health Yeh Chin-chuan and Academia Sinica academician Chen Pei-jer will travel along with the ROC delegation, he said.
Yaung said he expects to meet with health officials from mainland China to discuss various issues, including extending Taiwan’s National Health Insurance to certain hospitals in the mainland and attending to the medical needs of mainland Chinese tourists traveling in Taiwan.
Yaung is scheduled to give a five-minute talk during the WHA meeting, in which he plans to share Taiwan’s experiences in fighting influenza A (H1N1), reforming the National Health Insurance system, and aiding Haiti in the aftermath of the strong earthquake that left the nation in shambles.
Yaung stressed that international exchanges are an effective way of making Taiwan more visible globally.
“National health insurance has become a hot topic because of the U.S.,” he noted. “In this regard, Taiwan could share its experience with the international community.”
Issues slated for discussion at the upcoming WHA meeting include pandemic flu prevention, health insurance, food safety, tuberculosis control, cracking down on counterfeit medicines and implementation of International Health Regulations. (KL-HZW)
Write to Kwangyin Liu at kwangyin.liu@mail.gio.gov.tw