Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達), former president of Taipei Medical University, took up his new post as the head of the Department of Health yesterday, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of his predecessor following the passage of a controversial health reform plan last month.
“It is going to be an adventure for me,” Chiu said at a ceremony where he formally took over the post.
Though he said he was excited and ready for the challenge, the new minister expressed some unease over medical administration, a relatively new field for him.
The 61-year-old neurosurgeon served as president and professor at the university for many years and was best known to the public for promoting legislation on bicycle helmets, aimed at decreasing the number of brain injuries and accidental deaths on roads.
Chiu said his main focus would be to promote and execute the second-generation health plan, which was passed as an amendment to the National Health Insurance Act (全民健保法) by the legislature on Jan. 4.
He said his department would hold meetings around the country to help the public better understand the plan.
Chiu’s predecessor, Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良), resigned following a drawn-out process to pass a health reform plan aimed at stabilizing the national health insurance system’s finances.
Yaung came under fire when his original plan to charge premiums based on household income was rejected by the legislature, and once a compromise plan closer to the system currently in place was enacted, he opted to leave the government.
Chiu said that before implementing the new health plan, he would concentrate on preparations for the program, including holding cross-ministerial discussions to prevent possible problems between agencies in the future.
His other priorities, he said, would be to push for a long-term care plan for the elderly and to boost food safety.
Jack Lee (李允傑) assumed his post as head of the National Youth Commission yesterday, promising to play the role of a communicator and to learn more about how Taiwan’s young people think.
Lee, a professor at National Open University, succeeded Wang Yu-ting (王昱婷) at a ceremony overseen by Minister Without Portfolio Ovid Tseng (曾志朗).
Lee said his main tasks would be to address the needs of underprivileged youth, help young people find jobs, build up a social network and provide information on employment, study and leisure activities.
Lee said he intended to travel around Taiwan to talk to students at colleges and universities.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
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