Five major medical and nursing associations issued a joint statement today saying that funding issues with the National Health Insurance (NHI) system remain unresolved.
Although the NHI budget is slated to increase to NT$928.6 billion (USD$28.19 billion), a 5.5-percent increase compared to last year, this might still be short as the premium rate is not set to change and point values have yet to be adjusted, the statement said.
The five groups are the Taiwan Hospital Association, Taiwan Medical Association, Taiwan Union of Nurses Association, the Nongovernmental Hospitals and Clinics Association and Taiwan College of Healthcare Executive.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
The increased budget fails to account for unspent points, the statement said, which potentially fails to underestimate growth rates.
Compared to other advanced countries, Taiwan spends the least on healthcare as a percentage of GDP, the statement said, adding that this underinvestment has left the healthcare system unable to meet basic needs.
Other rare disease treatments have also relied on hospital budgets, leading to stagnant salaries for workers and reducing institutions’ capacity to care for the sick, the statement read.
For example, since 2003, NT$622 million has been budgeted for hepatitis B and C treatment programs but actual spending by hospitals is at NT$2.8 billion over that period, the statement said.
Some medical institutions have even had to close, the statement added.
Point values have been diluted, leading to increased burden on medical institutions, the statement said.
Point value reform should seek to make up for prior shortcomings, rather than just increasing this year’s budget, the statement said.
The groups called on the government to address point value deficits, adjust the payment formula to reflect rising costs of advancing medical treatments, allocate dedicated budgets for specific public health projects to avoid impacting general health services, and improve salaries for workers, the statement said.
The groups also thanked the government and Ministry of Health and Welfare for supporting the budget increase, adding that this year’s budget reflects the importance of the medical system, the statement said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
RSS