As Taiwan becomes a super-aged society, the government intends to bolster three major pillars of health in the hope of making the country a global model for aging nations, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at a ceremony to open the Healthy Ageing Tech Show in Taipei.
Taiwan’s elderly care sector is expected to reach NT$3.6 trillion (US$120.58 billion) in value this year, or about one-seventh of GDP, Lai said.
It is even more important now to implement measures to address the health issues of elderly people, given the percentage of people who are elderly in Taiwan, he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ministry of the Interior data released yesterday showed that the number of people aged 65 or over was 4,583,678 as of last month, or 19.64 percent of the population, while those aged 15 to 64 totaled 16,042,116 (68.74 percent) and there were 2,712,142 people aged 14 or younger (11.62 percent).
The data indicate that the ratio would exceed 20 percent by the end of this year, the threshold for a super-aged society, Lai said.
The first step to bolster the three main health pillars is to improve the quality of healthcare services, Lai said.
Since taking office last year, his administration has pushed for National Health Insurance (NHI) reform and increased funding for NHI programs to improve working conditions for medical personnel as the first pillar, he said, citing the allocation of NT$6.8 billion in the budget for this year to expand eligibility criteria and new tests for national cancer screening programs, as well as the establishment of a NT$10 billion cancer drug fund to help address the financial challenges faced by people with cancer.
The second pillar pertains to the government’s plan to introduce “long-term care 3.0” next year, he said.
By building institutional capacity, and using smart and preventive healthcare, the plan aims to better integrate medical care and long-term care to realize the vision of healthy aging, community-based elderly care and dignified end-of-life care, Lai said.
The third pillar focuses on providing comprehensive support services for elderly people, particularly in terms of food, clothing, housing, transportation, education and recreation, he said.
Hopefully, all those involved in the field would work together to provide better support for elderly people, create more business opportunities in the senior care industry and make Taiwan a global model for aging societies, Lai said.
In October last year, the National Development Council released a report that said Taiwan is on course to become a “super-aged society” this year as projected.
The population would decline to fewer than 23 million by 2030, when elderly people are projected to be 30 percent of the total, the report said.
Under the WHO’s definition, a society is considered “aging” when the number of people aged 65 or over reaches 7 percent of the total population; “aged” when it reaches 14 percent; and “super-aged” when it reaches 20 percent.
Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) told the ceremony that economic opportunities arise along with challenges brought by an aging society.
The ministry would cooperate with enterprises and organizations to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help people build a healthy life, Kuo said.
Integrating AI products into primary healthcare is an important goal of the Long-term Care 3.0 plan, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said.
The health ministry has compiled data to build an intelligent platform to serve elderly people and provide equitable access to medical service, Chiu added.
The Healthy Ageing Tech Show runs through tomorrow at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Exhibition Hall 1.
Additional reporting by Chiu Chih-jou and CNA
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