The issue of societal resilience has become increasingly prevalent in the past few years, particularly as international political and economic conditions have been changing at a rapid pace. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call that, in today’s highly developed civilization, the threat posed by large-scale infectious diseases is perhaps greater than ever before.
The establishment of societal resilience relies on the government’s capacity for mobilization — especially its ability to grasp and integrate resources from all sectors of society — to allow that mobilization and coordination to be carried out effectively. For the public, it depends on the degree of cooperation with the mobilization. The government and civilians are indispensable parts of the response, as only through effective public-private collaboration can the goal of societal resilience be achieved.
The pandemic was a major test of societal resilience for all nations. As the president of the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists’ Associations, I was deeply grateful for the trust that the government and all sectors of society placed in pharmacists, entrusting them with the critical responsibility of distributing key supplies such as masks and rapid test kits. I am even more thankful for the collective commitment of pharmacists across the nation, who together demonstrated their professionalism and performed brilliantly to meet the challenges posed by COVID-19.
However, beyond mutual trust, resilience and the collective cooperation of Taiwanese, the success was also informed by the painful lessons learned from the SARS outbreak of 2003. The hard-won experience of that successful mobilization should not be forgotten. Rather, it should be studied carefully and the lessons institutionalized to facilitate an effective response when new challenges arise.
Last year, eastern Taiwan was hit by multiple natural disasters, which at times disrupted communications with the outside world and hindered the flow of supplies. For many local residents — particularly elderly people and those with limited mobility due to chronic illnesses — there was serious risks, including interruptions to access to medication. To address such situations, a system must be designed to ensure smooth supply and access to medicine regardless of the situation. A system could be designed to authorize local pharmacists to provide emergency wound care and pharmaceutical services for people with stable chronic conditions or minor injuries in specific emergency situations. Local pharmacies, which are deeply embedded in people’s daily lives, could also serve as emergency coordination centers during extraordinary circumstances.
At the end of 2024, I proposed policies such as encouraging pharmacists to obtain emergency medical technician certification and relaxing regulations so that trained pharmacists could be classified as emergency medical responders under the Emergency Medical Services Act (緊急醫療救護法).
It should be reiterated that pharmacists are not only indispensable personnel for a healthy Taiwan, but also the guardians of a resilient nation, enabling medical supplies to reach the public regardless of the situation.
Huang Jin-shun is president of the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists’ Associations.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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