Taiwan is to consolidate “three pillars of health” to build a “Healthy Taiwan,” as the nation is expected to become a super-aged society this year, President William Lai (賴清德) said today at the opening ceremony of the Healthy Ageing Tech Show.
There are 4.57 million people aged 65 years and older, accounting for 19.6 percent of the population, Lai said.
Taiwan's elderly population is set to reach 20 percent, the threshold of a “super-aged society” as defined by the UN, he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
It is thus the nation's responsibility to take care of the health of the aging population, he said, stressing the need for building “three pillars of health.”
The first pillar is improving healthcare quality, he said.
Since he took office, the government has been pushing reforms in the National Health Insurance system to improve the working conditions of those in the healthcare industry, he said.
The government has also initiated a healthcare plan, which takes effect from this year until 2029, with a budget of about NT$50 billion (US$1.67 billion), he added.
To meet the medicinal needs of people with cancer, a fund for cancer drugs of NT$10 billion has been established, he said.
As for chronic illnesses associated with the “three highs” — high blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels — the government has been preparing the “888 program” to identify potential patients and provide them with pre-emptive care, he said.
The second pillar is the Long-term Care 3.0 program, which is to start next year, he said.
The program would utilize artificial intelligence (AI), provide pre-emptive healthcare and raise the capacity of healthcare organizations, he said.
The third pillar is to promote a diversified elderly healthcare industry for the aging population to live a quality life with dignity, he said.
It is estimated that the value of business opportunities in the industry is to reach NT$3.6 trillion, covering basic needs, financial security and employment, he said.
The government is to collaborate with industry, academia and research institutions to create an elderly friendly environment and "silver economy," he said.
Economic opportunities arise along with challenges brought by an aging society, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said in his speech.
The ministry is to cooperate with enterprises and organizations to promote the use of AI to help people build a healthy life, Kuo said.
Integrating AI products in primary healthcare is an important goal of the Long-term Care 3.0 plan, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said.
The ministry has compiled data to build an intelligent platform to serve the elderly and provide equitable access to medical service, Chiu said.
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