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Health department gives pediatricians more compensation

Starting from next year, doctors will receive 20 percent more compensation for patients under the age of two, the Department of Health announced yesterday.

The Bureau of National Health Insurance currently pays pediatricians NT$213 for basic hospital visits. That rate would be hiked by roughly 20 percent to NT$260, Deputy Minister of the Department of Health Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.

As long as the patient is under two years old, the increased rate will apply even if they are treated by non-pediatricians. Parents of patients under the age of three incur no out of pocket costs for routine visits under the NHI.

"We are not out to favor pediatricians over other specialists," said Chen, "but it is a fact that pediatricians have to spend more time and effort with their patients, meaning that at current levels of payment, they are relatively poorly compensated for their work."

Chen said that the department will improve pediatric care in other ways in the coming years, including encouraging the use of medicines dosed specifically for children rather than diluting or splitting medicine meant for adults.

This move is also a part of the necessary process of adjusting the remuneration for different types of clinical visits, Chen said.
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