Taiwanese are big spenders on health food, with adults on average spending NT$1,031 (US$33.50) per month on this type of food, a survey showed yesterday.
About 85 percent of Taiwanese spent that amount to buy organic, functional food or Chinese herbs designed to promote greater health or medical benefits, in addition to purchasing basic nutritional food, the survey conducted by the Taiwan Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management Association found.
ABOVE AVERAGE
The amount spent on health food is well above the average of NT$275 per month spent by individuals to buy medicine, an indication that Taiwanese prefer consuming health food and supplements instead of taking drugs to boost their health, association officials said.
However, two-thirds of respondents said they would see a doctor whenever they suffer just a little discomfort to get prescription medicine at clinics or hospitals covered by the National Health Insurance program.
REASONS
Asked why, respondents cited the following reasons: trust in the professionalism of doctors and hospitals, safety and efficacy. Respondents also said they preferred visiting a doctor because expenses are covered by the insurance program.
The number of visits per person to hospitals included in the health insurance program has risen steadily in recent years, with the average insured person going to hospitals 15 times last year.
About NT$508 billion has been allocated for the program’s expense next year.
The association carried out the random telephone survey from Sept. 13 to 24, questioning 1,074 men and women aged 20 to 65 across the country about their health and medical habits. It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
RSS