Public health is one of Taiwan’s greatest strengths. Its National Health Insurance was already one of the best single-payer systems in the world, ensuring that everyone has coverage while staying nimble in the face of financial challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a chance for the world to see Taiwan’s full public health apparatus at work. Officials caught wind of a strange virus circulating in China and jumped to screen and then stem the flow of travelers before the word “coronavirus” even made headlines. It was one of the only countries in the world to escape widespread transmission before vaccines were distributed, becoming a case study for virologists everywhere. It did all this despite being barred from the WHO, lending weight to its appeals for inclusion.
Yet for all of its triumphs, there remain some frustrating blind spots in Taiwan’s public health system. One of the biggest is coverage of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data from last year, STI rates have been steadily rising. Gonorrhea diagnoses rose from 7,082 in 2020 to 8,015 in 2022, while syphilis cases increased from 8,800 in 2021 to 9,631 over the same period. Most were among people younger than 35, with the CDC warning at the time that more than 90 percent of young people are being exposed to STIs due to unsafe sexual practices.
Although cases are rising, most STI testing is paid out of pocket. At Po Jen General Hospital in Taipei, publicly available pricing shows it costs NT$3,000 for a “basic” suite of eight STI tests. A full suite of 11 tests costs NT$5,000. Due to the price, most doctors recommend only testing for common STIs and only paying for others if symptoms are present.
From a public health perspective, this is asking for trouble. The high prices discourage people from getting tested, meaning more people will spread diseases unknowingly. As health authorities know that most young people are engaging in unsafe sexual practices, it is irresponsible to rely on social stigma to stem the spread of disease. Concrete action must be taken.
HIV is an instructive case study. Tests are widely available for free through clinics and non-governmental organizations, while at-home test kits cost NT$200. By the end of last year, new diagnoses had dropped to a 20-year low.
At the same time, access to preventive treatment leaves much to be desired. People at risk of contracting HIV are encouraged to take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regularly. In other countries the price can be negligible with generics, but in Taiwan, only the brand-name Truvada is available, costing an average of NT$12,000 per month. Although some hospitals offer patient assistance programs to help with the cost of PrEP, they are not available to non-citizens, who must order online from questionable sources.
One of the fundamentals of public health is to prevent the spread of disease. To do that, officials must do their utmost to make sure that everyone who might be at risk has easy access to testing and preventive measures, paired with comprehensive education.
Yet for all of its adherence to best practices in other fields, many parts of Taiwan’s health system remain antiquated when it comes to sexual health, preferring instead to slough off the burden of prevention to abstinence education and public shame. Sexual health is no less a part of a person’s well-being than other kinds. Breaking through the social stigma is the only way to truly protect ourselves and others.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS