President Chen Shui-bian (
"Today we can be proud because we have declared to the world that our nation's healthcare system has entered the e-generation," said Department of Health (DOH) Director-General Lee Ming-liang (李明亮) as he presented the president with the card.
The presentation was made at a press conference organized by the Bureau of National Health Insurance under the DOH.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"Receiving the nation's first IC card does not mean that I will enjoy special privileges when seeking medical treatment," Chen said. "In fact, it reminds me that the government should bear the responsibility of sustaining the nation's health-insurance program."
Indeed, neither Chen nor anyone else will be able to use the card until November at the earliest, as it will only then start to be accepted by a limited number of hospitals and clinics. It will not become the sole means of registering for health-insurance-funded medical treatment until May next year.
The current paper cards will remain effective until then.
"There is no way we can issue all 22 million cards to citizens at the same time," Louis Liu (
"The company producing the cards is also responsible for distributing them and collecting signatures from all employers certifying that they have been distributed. This is a time-consuming process," he added.
The IC card contains a microchip that can store 32K of data. The chip will store each individual's personal information, such as records of the last six visits to the hospital and medical expenses.
Data recorded on the card will only be accessible when the card is used in conjunction with a patient's secret personal-identification number and a doctor's card and secret code.
The DOH estimates that the IC card will save about NT$6.5 billion for the health-insurance program every year because it will reduce the labor and resources required to renew the paper card.
According to the Bureau of National Health Insurance, the cards will be issued to residents in Taipei City, Taichung City, Kaohsiung City and Penghu County from yesterday to the end of September.
From September to November, the IC cards will be distributed in Keelung City, Taipei County, Miaoli County, Taichung County, Pintung County and Kaohsiung County.
Residents in Taoyuan County, Hsinchu County, Changhua County, Nantou County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, Yunlin County, Tainan County and Tainan City will receive their IC card between November this year and February next year.
Finally, foreigners, residents of Ilan County, Taitung County, Hualien County, Kinmen County and Lienchiang County will receive their IC cards between February and March of next year.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS