A Taiwanese delegation is to depart for the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday next week, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said yesterday.
The WHA’s 78th annual assembly is to be held from May 19 to 27.
Taiwan has not received an official invitation, as in the previous eight years, and instead would send a “WHA Action Team,” led by Chiu, which would adopt a “half protest, half appeal” stance this year to advocate for Taiwan’s full participation in future assemblies, he said.
Photo: Reuters
This year also saw a 60 percent cut to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s overseas travel budget, which would reduce the WHA Action Team by about one-third to 20 members, he added.
The delegation would follow the approach of previous years by engaging with like-minded countries to ensure Taiwan maintains a visible and active presence on the international stage, he said.
Twenty-one medical associations representing more than 500,000 healthcare professionals yesterday also held a news conference under the theme “One World for Health” to urge the WHO and the international community to allow Taiwan to officially participate in global health affairs.
The associations said that countries should cooperate to address shared challenges, including climate change, new strains of infectious diseases, chronic conditions and the impacts of aging populations.
Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHA contradicts the WHO’s goal of “One World for Health,” they said.
US President Donald Trump in January signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the WHO.
Asked if the US’ withdrawal could affect the WHA, Bureau of International Cooperation Director-General Shih Chin-shui (施金水) told reporters ahead of the conference that the US was just one of 194 countries within the WHO.
Although it would have a significant impact on finances, labor and ongoing programs, the WHA would still assemble as it does every year to discuss critical issues, he said.
Taiwan’s delegation plans to meet with representatives from more than 40 countries and major international organizations, he said, adding that specific details remain confidential, as the meetings are still being arranged.
The main focus of the WHA is expected to be the Pandemic Agreement, Shih said.
The Pandemic Agreement, a proposed international accord aimed at enhancing global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, reached a consensus among WHO member states last month after two-and-a-half years of negotiations.
Last year, the WHO published the Global Health Strategy for this year to 2028, which aimed to increase health coverage worldwide, although Taiwan has “already achieved what many countries are only just setting out to achieve,” Taiwan Medical Association president Chou Ching-ming (周慶明) said.
Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system, which has been in place for 30 years, provides coverage to 99.9 percent of the population and has a public satisfaction rate of more than 90 percent, he said.
The system has successfully eliminated the cycle of health-related poverty — an important global health achievement, he added.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan has continued to provide international humanitarian aid and contribute meaningfully to global health efforts, he said.
Given this record, Taiwan’s medical professionals should not be sidelined from international academia or prevented from collaborating with global counterparts, he added.
At this critical moment in world affairs, transparent information sharing and global cooperation are key, and Taiwan’s experience and capabilities cannot be overlooked, he said.
The global medical community has consistently shown support for Taiwan, he added.
The World Medical Association, which represents millions of doctors worldwide, recently sent another letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reaffirming the importance of Taiwan joining the WHA and similar international health organizations, he added.
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