A group of medical organizations yesterday inaugurated Medical Excellence Taiwan (MET), a foundation that aims to bring healthcare to countries included in the government’s New Southbound Policy.
Funded by 12 medical institutions, three associations and four companies, MET was created to promote Taiwan’s medical services on the global stage.
Vice President William Lai (賴清德) at the inaugural ceremony in Taipei expressed his hope that Taiwan’s medical industry could expand into the nations covered by President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) New Southbound Policy.
Photo: CNA
Medical institutions in Taiwan have treated 510,000 people from policy countries since 2018, taking the initiative to provide health services and demonstrating Taiwan’s medical ability.
Nations covered by the policy include the 10 ASEAN countries, as well as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand.
MEDICAL SERVICES
Taiwan should continue to improve its medical services and expand capacity, and deepen ties with other nations through medical services to help the industry expand into policy countries, Lai said.
As policy countries have strict regulations on medications and medical devices, it is difficult to gain approval from local medical entities without setting up medical institutions there to provide services directly, he said.
Lai said he learned from his experience working at National Cheng Kung University Hospital that “human rights know no borders.”
Providing medical services is good diplomacy and can win approval from recipient countries, regardless of whether they have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, he added.
Taiwan’s medical institutions should take into consideration their goals, available talent pool and regulations as they develop their operations in policy countries, Lai said.
They could begin with a small or medium-sized hospital and establish a medical center in the long term, he said.
NURTURING TALENT
The institutions also need to devise plans to nurture local medical talent in policy countries, using Taiwan’s medical education resources, he added.
Related regulations have to be amended to allow Taiwan’s medical institutions to invest in policy countries, Lai said, adding that taxation needs to be regulated as well.
He said he believes in Taiwan’s medical prowess and hopes that MET can serve as a platform for medical institutions with a sense of mission to shine.
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