A long-term care insurance program has been proposed to cover dementia sufferers, Department of Health Deputy Minister Cheng Shou-hsia (鄭守夏) said on Thursday.
Cheng, who heads a panel that will begin preparations for the introduction of the program, said that although most dementia sufferers do not have physical disabilities, they require very laborious and attentive care.
Further studies will be carried out to decide which levels of dementia will be eligible for coverage, Cheng said.
Around 160,000 people in the country suffer from dementia, a number that is expected to exceed 620,000 by 2056, or an increase of 10,000 people every year, the non-profit Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association said.
Of the 2.4 million Taiwanese aged 65 or over, 10 percent are classed as disabled and 5 percent of those suffer from dementia, the association said.
Cheng said the department was planning to reorganize the healthcare system to create a “subacute care” category alongside the existing “acute care” and “chronic disease care” categories. It would decide later if the new category should be covered by the National Health Insurance program or the proposed long-term care insurance program.
“Subacute care” refers to care for patients treated in settings other than acute care beds. Conditions requiring subacute care can include brain and spinal cord injuries, neurological and respiratory problems, cancer, stroke, AIDS and head trauma.
Cheng said his panel is expected to present a draft of the long-term care insurance law by the end of this year, to pave the way for the program’s introduction in 2011 or 2012.
Similar to the National Health Insurance, the new coverage will be run by the government, with insured persons required to share the cost by making partial payment at hospitals, he said.
However, he added, it remained uncertain whether the program would include all citizens or only those aged 40 and over.
As most people requiring long-term care are senior citizens, young people and employers might be unwilling to pay the premiums, he said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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