The Cabinet yesterday passed a proposal to fund new cancer medicines and would allocate NT$5 billion (US$153.82 million) from next year’s budget to the program.
As cancer has long been the leading cause of death in Taiwan, the Cabinet approved the proposal from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to “raise the accessibility of new cancer medicines” in line with the national cancer control program.
The plan is part of President William Lai’s (賴清德) “Healthy Taiwan” policy, with the aim of reducing cancer deaths by one-third by 2030.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
To meet the medicinal needs of people with cancer, the ministry would set up a national institute to assess health technology — which would be a non-departmental public body — launch a parallel review system and establish a fund for new cancer drugs, National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) told a news conference after the Cabinet meeting.
The Executive Yuan would allocate NT$5 billion from the official budget to the National Health Insurance fund as a fund for temporary new cancer drugs, which is expected to eventually reach and remain at NT$10 billion, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said.
While some of the funds would be allocated to the NHI fund in the short term, amendments to the Cancer Control Act (癌症防治法) would be formulated to stabilize financial sources of the new medicines fund in the medium and long term, Shih said.
The budget would be the main source of funding, which is projected to reach NT$10 billion within three years, he said, adding that medicine reviews, financial controls, eligibility evaluations and information openness would be established to ensure the program’s effectiveness.
Executive Yuan spokesman Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) quoted Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as saying that the ministry should accelerate the fund’s establishment to ensure stable payments for new medicines, as well as safeguard the right of the public to medicine.
Meanwhile, the budget for cancer screening programs would receive a NT$4 billion boost to NT$6.8 billion next year, while eligibility would be expanded for government-funded screenings for cervical, colorectal, breast, lung and gastric cancers, Shih said, adding that screening subsidy rules would be changed.
Eligibility would be expanded to offer government-funded lung cancer screenings for people who smoke at least 20 packs of cigarettes per year or have a family history of lung cancer, the NHIA said.
Other expanded eligibility conditions include: breast cancer screenings for women aged 40 to 74, up from 45 to 70 previously; cervical cancer screenings for women from age 25, down from 29; colorectal cancer screenings from age 45, down from 49, or from 40, down from 44 for those with a family history of the disease; HPV testing at age 35, 45 and 65; Helicobacter pylori stool antigen testing for people aged 45 to 74; and continued enhancement of cancer screenings and follow-up checks for positive cases, it said.
To achieve the goal of a “Healthy Taiwan,” the ministry should enhance its development and implementation of public health policies that incorporate exercise and nutrition management, Chen quoted Cho as saying, adding that the application of artificial intelligence should be considered to increase precision and efficiency.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS