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.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS