President William Lai (賴清德) this morning attended a symposium to mark the 30-year anniversary of Taiwan’s world-acclaimed National Health Insurance (NHI) system.
In a forum on NHI sustainability, Lai expressed Taiwan’s deep gratitude to the NHI for safeguarding the health of all citizens.
He also stressed the importance of social health insurance as a social payback system to pool resources for those in need.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Last year, Taiwan’s healthcare index was ranked first in the world for the sixth consecutive year, attracting recognition and praise worldwide, Lai said.
The NHI currently boasts medical coverage of 98 to 99 percent, one of the world’s highest, treating prisoners, military personnel and impoverished families, he added.
From the common cold to organ transplants, cancer treatment to hospice and palliative care, everyone in Taiwan receives the same level of service, he said.
The NHI system also has a public satisfaction rate of more than 90 percent, one of the highest approval rates worldwide, he said.
It has addressed problems across society, including the poverty trap of sick people becoming poor, and poor people becoming sick due to the cost of healthcare, Lai added.
The NHI is a non-partisan system established by forward-thinking leaders such as former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and then-Department of Health minister Chang Po-ya (張博雅), he said.
However, the NHI faces some challenges, such as a shortage of medical personnel, particularly in the fields of internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology, he said, calling for these challenges to be addressed through healthcare reforms to ensure the NHI continues to deliver world-class service.
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