Taiwan has continuously participated in international health affairs and shared its experiences, including its globally benchmarked universal healthcare coverage, and the WHO should include Taiwan in its meetings and mechanisms, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said in an op-ed published in an Israeli newspaper on Tuesday.
The 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) — the decisionmaking body of the WHO — is to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 19 to May 27, but Taiwan has been excluded from the WHA in previous years due to pressure from China.
In an effort to gain international recognition and participation in the WHA, Chiu submitted his opinion piece, titled “Recognizing Taiwan’s considerable contributions to global health and potential at the WHO,” to the English-language Jerusalem Post and it was published on Tuesday.
Photo: CNA
Citing the WHO Fourteenth General Programme of Work for 2025-2028, adopted by WHO members at last year’s WHA, Chiu said the program’s strategic objectives include improving healthcare and bolstering financial protections to ensure universal healthcare coverage.
NHI SYSTEM NO. 1
Taiwan launched the National Health Insurance (NHI) system in 1995, and it now covers 99.9 percent of the population, providing equitable, accessible and efficient healthcare to all people, he said, adding the NHI system is an important pillar and guarantor of Taiwan’s social stability, and people’s health and safety, and has become a global benchmark of universal healthcare coverage.
Citing an annual survey by Internet database Numbeo, Chiu said Taiwan has been ranked first in the Healthcare Index category for seven consecutive years.
In line with President William Lai’s (賴清德) vision of a “healthy Taiwan,” the government is expanding health promotion operations and preventive healthcare, implementing a family physician program, utilizing telemedicine, and promoting integrated long-term care and palliative care, to ensure “holistic, lifelong, and dignified care for all people, realizing health equity,” he said.
The minister also outlined the use of information and communications technology to improve healthcare systems and services, including the NHI Cloud, adoption of international standards for medical data sharing, artificial intelligence-assisted smart healthcare, the virtual health insurance card, and the introduction of the Health Technology Assessment to facilitate evidence-based policymaking.
PANDEMIC ASSISTANCE
Detailing Taiwan’s role in sharing supplies, strategies and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as sharing its experiences in universal coverage, financial management and digital health, Chiu said that “Taiwan has continuously participated in international health affairs and has been dedicated to supporting the global health system.”
He said that while global cooperation has become essential to addressing various health crises, Taiwan has been excluded from the WHO due to China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 — neither of which mentions Taiwan.
“To uphold the core UN values of inclusiveness and universality, we urge WHO and all relevant parties to recognize Taiwan’s considerable contributions to global public health and the human right to health,” Chiu said.
Taiwan should be included in the WHA and all WHO meetings, activities and mechanisms, particularly those concerned with the WHO pandemic agreement, he said, adding that Taiwan hopes to work with the international community to create a fundamental human right to health, and the UN vision of leaving no one behind.
Separately, the Capital Times, a weekly newspaper in Wisconsin, on Sunday also published a letter by Dennis Lei (類延峰), director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, urging the WHO to recognize Taiwan’s contributions to global health and allow its participation in the WHO.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS