Civic groups including the Formosan Cancer Foundation yesterday called for the passage of an amendment to finance the Taiwan multi-support Cancer Drugs Fund (TmCDF) to improve access to new drugs and provide more affordable care.
The foundation expressed regret that the legislative session has ended with lawmakers failing to pass a proposed amendment to the Cancer Control Act (癌症防治法) to fund TmCDF, as well as the draft national nutrition and healthy diet promotion act.
As the next legislative session is likely to focus on the annual budget review and the legislative elections in January next year, the foundation said it is worried about the delay as people with cancer cannot wait any longer if the two laws continue to be set aside.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Taiwan for decades, with about 800,000 people currently undergoing cancer treatment, foundation vice president Tsai Li-chuan (蔡麗娟) said.
Although there are new cancer drugs being developed, it takes an average of more than two years for new medicine to be included in the National Health Insurance (NHI) system, she said.
“Even after new cancer drugs are included in the NHI system, the eligibility criteria are often very strict, so only about 30 percent of patients obtain approvals,” Tsai said.
Taiwan Association of University Professors board member Chao Ming-wei (招名威) said that as a family member of a person with cancer, he understands their hope that new treatments could extend a loved one’s life, have less side effects and help patients lead a quality life.
However, the cost of new cancer drugs is expensive, with treatments costing up to hundreds of thousands or more than NT$1 million (US$32,552), which many families cannot afford, Chao said.
Since 2019, the foundation has been promoting the TmCDF and has proposed revising the Cancer Control Act to serve as the legal foundation for raising the fund, acting as a transitional support mechanism for cancer patients before the new drugs they need are included in the NHI system, Tsai said.
A petition to support the proposed amendment has been signed by more than 60 lawmakers across party lines, but it has been kept on hold since March, she said, adding that the foundation hopes the proposal could be passed sooner.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party’s Taipei chapter convener Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱), a cardiac surgeon, said that in 2018, the medical cost for cancer treatments surpassed NT$100 billion, with drugs alone costing NT$40 billion.
The cost of treatment has kept on increasing, but the NHI budget increase cannot keep up with it, she said, adding that the TmCDF can prevent the cost of cancer treatment crowding out funding for other diseases.
Treatments for diabetes, hypertension and other chronic illnesses are covered by the NHI system, leaving little for the prevention of diseases, she said.
Passage of the draft national nutrition and healthy diet promotion act would help protect people’s health and reduce medical expenses, she said.
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