The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) is poised to unveil a NT$146 million (US$4.5 million) budget to fund additional free checkups to detect developmental impairments in children under the age of seven, which are to start from July 1, it said yesterday.
The program is expected to benefit an estimated 400,000 children by the first half of next year, Maternal and Child Health Division senior technical specialist Lin Chen-su (林真夙) said.
The HPA currently provides children in that age group seven free checkups focused on family health history, weight, height, and the health of their eyes, ears and mouths, among other indicators for proper child development, Lin said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
The examinations also focus on taking a development inventory to measure a child’s progress in gross motor and fine motor skills, verbal communication, language comprehension, self-care and socialization, she said.
Since last year, the agency has provided health check services to 870,000 children, representing a 78.6 percent utilization rate, she said.
Citing WHO data, Lin said that developmental delay affects 6 to 8 percent of children worldwide, higher than the 2.2 percent rate of developmental delay reported among children younger than six in Taiwan.
That suggests a large number of children with impairments are not being diagnosed or receiving appropriate assistance or treatment, she said.
In response, the HPA plans to provide an additional six free checkups to boost the early diagnosis and treatment that is crucial in ensuring children with disabilities or impairments receive the help they need, Lin said.
The tests would use a child development inventory with indicators adjusted to conditions in Taiwan, and would be conducted every six to 10 months or when a child is about 10 months, 18 months, two years, three years, five years and seven years old, she said.
Doctors participating in the program would receive a NT$400 subsidy for appointments and another NT$250 for each child with developmental delay they refer to HPA-approved clinics or hospitals, Lin said.
Parents should expect to to bring their children to the same hospital or clinic normally used for their health exams, she said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese