More than 360,000 people have applied for virtual National Health Insurance (NHI) cards, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) said yesterday, adding that the service is key to solving cash flow and logistics problems in remote areas.
As of last month, 363,582 people in Taiwan had a virtual NHI card, a significant increase from the more than 40,000 cards that were issued by the end of last year, the administration said at a virtual NHI card application workshop at the administration’s office in Taipei yesterday.
Virtual card users only need to show a QR code on their smartphone when booking an appointment or seeking medical treatment, avoiding problems such as when people forget to bring their card or the card cannot be read, administration Director-General Lee Po-chang (李伯璋) said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Virtual card users can also check their drug prescriptions and examination results using the online NHI system, and pay their medical fees using mobile payments, he said.
The virtual NHI card trial was launched in 2019, and now the system is used at 967 contracted healthcare facilities, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said.
An administration survey showed that more than 80 percent of the virtual card users said that the service has made telemedicine and home healthcare more convenient, Hsueh said.
Healthcare services in remote areas need to be improved using technology, but previously there were cash flow and drug delivery problems because identity verification was difficult, he said, adding that the virtual card is key to providing better healthcare to people in remote areas and on outlying islands.
When the NHI card was first issued, it was made of paper and people needed to get a new one after it had been stamped six times for hospital visits, Lee said, adding that the first IC card was issued 18 years ago.
More people applied for the virtual card in the past year as people were more willing to accept telemedicine care during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that some people who needed to refill prescriptions for chronic diseases also made use of the service and did not have to visit healthcare facilities during the pandemic.
Many hospitals have set up booths to assist people in applying for the virtual card using their smartphone, Lee said.
Authorized family members can also access one another’s data, enabling children who do not live with their elderly parents to easily assist them in seeking medical attention, he added.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS