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.
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
RSS