Five major medical and nursing associations issued a joint statement today saying that funding issues with the National Health Insurance (NHI) system remain unresolved.
Although the NHI budget is slated to increase to NT$928.6 billion (USD$28.19 billion), a 5.5-percent increase compared to last year, this might still be short as the premium rate is not set to change and point values have yet to be adjusted, the statement said.
The five groups are the Taiwan Hospital Association, Taiwan Medical Association, Taiwan Union of Nurses Association, the Nongovernmental Hospitals and Clinics Association and Taiwan College of Healthcare Executive.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
The increased budget fails to account for unspent points, the statement said, which potentially fails to underestimate growth rates.
Compared to other advanced countries, Taiwan spends the least on healthcare as a percentage of GDP, the statement said, adding that this underinvestment has left the healthcare system unable to meet basic needs.
Other rare disease treatments have also relied on hospital budgets, leading to stagnant salaries for workers and reducing institutions’ capacity to care for the sick, the statement read.
For example, since 2003, NT$622 million has been budgeted for hepatitis B and C treatment programs but actual spending by hospitals is at NT$2.8 billion over that period, the statement said.
Some medical institutions have even had to close, the statement added.
Point values have been diluted, leading to increased burden on medical institutions, the statement said.
Point value reform should seek to make up for prior shortcomings, rather than just increasing this year’s budget, the statement said.
The groups called on the government to address point value deficits, adjust the payment formula to reflect rising costs of advancing medical treatments, allocate dedicated budgets for specific public health projects to avoid impacting general health services, and improve salaries for workers, the statement said.
The groups also thanked the government and Ministry of Health and Welfare for supporting the budget increase, adding that this year’s budget reflects the importance of the medical system, the statement said.
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