The Executive Yuan yesterday unveiled a NT$48.9 billion (US$1.48 billion) policy to subsidize healthcare providers and medical research over the next five years, with the goal of making Taiwan the “most medically advanced nation” in the Asia-Pacific region.
Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) made the announcement at a news conference following a Cabinet meeting in Taipei to finalize President William Lai’s (賴清德) Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan.
Citing Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan’s (邱泰源) brief, Lee said the bill aims to improve working conditions, diversify the types of medical specialists Taiwan could train, introduce smart technology, and bolster the sector’s social responsibility and sustainability.
Photo: Wang Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Clinics and hospitals, community-based healthcare groups, medical associations and research institutions would be eligible for funding through the policy, depending on merit, she said, adding that they would apply only to entities that do not receive any other type of public funding.
The policy would target working conditions and professional ethics in the medical field, optimizing efficiency in hospitals, reforms in continuing education and career opportunities, and bolstering the number of critical care doctors and nurses, she said.
It would encourage hospitals to embrace artificial intelligence in therapeutics, administrative tasks, data sharing and cybersecurity, she said.
The implementation of the nation’s multi-tier healthcare system would be strengthened to secure its fiscal viability, she said.
The government would leverage the subsidies to improve medical care accessibility and equity, and foster the industry’s compliance with UN environmental, social and governance goals, she said.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) was cited as saying at the meeting that the policy must avoid only rewarding big-name hospitals, and that benefits should be spread over the greatest number of healthcare workers.
The objective of the policy is to help the local healthcare system overcome its current limitations. develop resilience and inclusiveness, and be the best public health model in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
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