International society should support Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and other international healthcare organizations in line with the principles of fairness and professionalism, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said in Geneva on Saturday.
The annual World Health Assembly (WHA) — the decisionmaking body of the WHO — is to begin today in Genva, Switzerland. As of yesterday, Taiwan had yet to receive an invitation.
The Taiwan WHA Action Team led by Chiu, which includes health officials and legislators, attended the opening ceremony of the “Taiwan’s Tech for WHO’s Three Core Pillars” interactive exhibition on Saturday. The event, hosted by the civil group Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAIUNA) in the lobby of Geneva Cornavin train station, is to run until this afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Lee Yan-hui
The ceremony opened with the Puzangalan Children’s Choir, made up of children from the indigenous Paiwan community, singing renowned Taiwanese folk songs.
The exhibition, a collaboration of many Taiwanese start-up teams, showcases healthcare technologies, including a chronic diseases information management system for large language models, a blockchain-based health credential platform and a fall detection system, TAIUNA said.
Exhibition curator and TAIUNA member Tung Nai-Yun (董乃昀) said the main topic of the exhibition is the WHO’s “Triple Billion” goals — “more people benefiting from universal health coverage,” “more people better protected from health emergencies” and “more people enjoying better health and well-being.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan demonstrated its technology governance and public health capabilities, so hopefully the exhibition can show the world how it can use technology to improve global health, she said.
The National Health Insurance system has shown its systemic resilience, allowing flexible responses and civilian mobilization, which is the implementation of the WHO’s goal of “more people benefiting from universal health coverage,” Chiu said.
Taiwan used digital technology to assist in border controls, vaccine distribution and medical resource allocation, which prevented its health system from being overwhelmed, he said.
“The international society should support Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and other international healthcare organizations, according to the principles of fairness and professionalism,” he said.
“Only when all who are capable of contributing are allowed to participate, can global health truly become sustainable,” he added.
TAIUNA executive director and New Taipei City Councilor Evalyn Chen (陳乃瑜) said that regardless of race and nationality, health is a common responsibility of the whole world, and Taiwan has long shown it has the medical capability to be a WHO member, so it would continue to communicate with the international community.
“Taiwan is not only a participant, but can be a contributor,” she said.
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