The government plans to put healthcare services and clinics in long-term care facilities as part of its Long-term Care 3.0 plan, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
Lai said that NT$92.7 billion (US$2.86 billion) would be allocated to the plan for next year.
There are many elderly people who are hospitalized even though their condition — such as pressure ulcers or pneumonia — is not serious enough to warrant it, Lai told an event at a care center in Changhua County’s Erlin Township (二林).
Photo: Yen Hung-chun, Taipei Times
However, if they are not in a place where they can be monitored by a medical professional, their condition could worsen, he said.
If they were not in hospital, doctors would have to visit local communities to check on such people, but with the implementation of Long-term Care 3.0, they would not need to be hospitalized, he said.
Instead, doctors and medical teams would be able to treat them at their community or care facility, allowing patients to avoid the inconvenience of traveling, Lai added.
The “Healthy Taiwan” plan includes developing strategies for different genders, regions and illnesses, Lai said.
As Taiwan is projected to become a “super-aged society” — with more than 20 percent of the population aged 65 or older — next year, there would be more elderly people who need care services, he said.
Lai said that the first long-term care plan was initiated by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) implemented Long-term Care 2.0, so he would make every effort to push Long-term Care 3.0 forward.
The budget for next year has been increased to NT$92.7 billion from NT$87.6 billion this year, which shows the government’s determination to push ahead with the Healthy Taiwan plan, he said.
The government would allocate an additional NT$48 billion over the next five years to expand community care services for people with disabilities, Lai said.
Long-term Care 3.0 would boost care service capacity and service quality, providing respite for caregivers, allowing the establishment of multipurpose care facilities, and improving 24-hour care and support services for people with severe disabilities, he said.
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
NATURAL INTERRUPTION: As cables deteriorate, core wires snap in progression along the cable, which does not happen if they are hit by an anchor, an official said Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) immediately switched to a microwave backup system to maintain communications between Taiwan proper and Lienchiang County (Matsu) after two undersea cables malfunctioned due to natural deterioration, the Ministry of Digital Affairs told an emergency news conference yesterday morning. Two submarine cables connecting Taiwan proper and the outlying county — the No. 2 and No. 3 Taiwan-Matsu cables — were disconnected early yesterday morning and on Wednesday last week respectively, the nation’s largest telecom said. “After receiving the report that the No. 2 cable had failed, the ministry asked Chunghwa Telecom to immediately activate a microwave backup system, with
RSS