Total hospital visits in Taiwan exceeded 380 million last year, more than the number of visits before the COVID-19 pandemic, with visits for cancer and chronic disease treatment having the highest growth rates, National Health Insurance (NHI) data showed.
The annual number of hospital visits last year was about 40 million higher than the previous year, or a 13 percent growth rate, and exceeded the 370 million visits in 2019 before the pandemic.
The highest growth rates were in the hematology and oncology departments for hospitals and endocrinology departments for local clinics, indicating that demand for cancer and chronic disease treatment increased the most.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
Hospital visits fell to 340 million and 310 million in 2020 and 2021 respectively due to the pandemic, and rebounded to 340 million in 2022 and 380 million last year, NHI statistics showed.
Of the hospital visits last year, about 190 million were at local clinics, with the number of visits increasing 55.26 percent for endocrinology clinics, 36.51 percent for psychiatric clinics and 23.24 percent for urology clinics.
The number of visits to hospitals’ hematology and oncology departments rose 22.72 percent, followed by 17.31 percent for rheumatology and immunology departments and 16.2 percent for ophthalmology departments.
During the COVID-19 pandemic there were limited hospital beds and some patients might have been scared to visit hospitals, so there could be a higher number of cases in which diagnosis and treatment has been delayed, National Health Insurance Administration Department of Medical Affairs Director Liu Lin-i (劉林義) said yesterday.
Many people with chronic illnesses might have opted to get follow-ups at local clinics, hence the significant increase in visits to endocrinology clinics, which could also be beneficial for the triage of hospitals, he said.
Another reason for the increase in hospital visits post-COVID-19 is that more people are seeing a doctor for flu-like illnesses, Liu added.
The effect of immunity debt continues, so there are still many people who see a doctor for the flu or COVID-19 even in the summer, causing increased hospital visits, Taiwan Medical Association chairman Chou Ching-ming (周慶明) said.
As for why visits to endocrinology clinics and urology clinics have risen, Chou said it could be associated with Taiwan’s aging society, adding that psychiatric clinic visits have always been growing, probably because “everyone is too anxious.”
Considering the post-COVID-19 rebound in hospital visits, the aging population, the development of new drugs and technology, and insufficient copayments and control over hospital referrals, it is likely that hospital visits would continue to increase, Taiwan College of Healthcare Executive head Hung Tzu-jen (洪子仁) said.
Hung said that visits to hematology, oncology, rheumatology and immunology departments increased the most, because in the past four years, there was a rapid advancement in precise medicine, regenerative medicine, immunotherapy and new cancer treatments.
Many new targeted therapies enable patients to prolong their lives, so the number of hospital visits have increased, he said.
The government’s plan to expand cancer screening programs to cover younger people is a good policy, as it allows early detection and treatment of cancers, which would increase people’s life expectancy, Hung said.
However, the government must also seriously consider if there would be sufficient funds for cancer drugs in the future, because once a cancer treatment is proven effective and included in the NHI system, it rapidly increases NHI medical expenses, he said.
Once lives are prolonged, hospital visits and medical expenses would inevitably increase, Hung said, adding that the NHI system must speed up its reform to be sustainable.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS