Enhancement in health policies, according to Lai's statement
Taiwan Aims to Become Global Model for Aging Societies
Taiwan's President William Lai has announced a comprehensive plan to address the challenges of aging societies and make Taiwan a global model for healthy aging. The plan, known as the "Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan," focuses on three main pillars: promoting healthy living for all, enhancing lifelong care, and aligning Taiwan with sustainable health development globally.
- Promoting healthy living for all
The administration has allocated NT$6.8 billion in the budget for this year to expand eligibility criteria and new tests for national cancer screening programs, and established a NT$10 billion cancer drug fund. Additionally, the Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to cooperate with enterprises and organizations to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help people build a healthy life.
- Enhancing lifelong care
Taiwan is projected to become a "super-aged society" this year, with over 20% of the population aged 65 or over. To address this, the government plans to build institutional capacity and use smart and preventive healthcare as part of the "long-term care 3.0" plan. The plan aims to integrate medical care and long-term care for healthy aging, community-based elderly care, and dignified end-of-life care. The government intends to introduce "long-term care 3.0" next year.
- Aligning Taiwan with sustainable health development globally
The government aims to optimize the National Health Insurance (NHI) system and accelerate smart healthcare technologies. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has compiled data to build an intelligent platform to serve elderly people and provide equitable access to medical services.
The economy of the elderly care sector in Taiwan is expected to reach NT$3.6 trillion in value this year, which is approximately one-seventh of the country's GDP. The population of Taiwan is expected to decline to fewer than 23 million by 2030, with elderly people projected to be 30% of the total population.
Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo stated that economic opportunities arise along with challenges brought by an aging society. President William Lai made these statements at a ceremony to open the Healthy Ageing Tech Show in Taipei. The show, taking place at the Taipei World Trade Center's Exhibition Hall 1, runs through tomorrow.
However, it's worth noting that Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan did not make any specific statements about addressing financial challenges faced by people with cancer, as mentioned earlier.
[1] Taiwan News [2] CNA [3] Focus Taiwan [4] Taipei Times [5] Taiwan News
- The Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan, with its focus on enhancing lifelong care, seeks to integrate medical care and long-term care for healthy aging, promoting community-based elderly care, and ensuring dignified end-of-life care.
- In an effort to align Taiwan with sustainable health development globally, the administration intends to optimize the National Health Insurance (NHI) system, accelerate smart healthcare technologies, and build an intelligent platform to serve elderly people and provide equitable access to medical services, potentially leading to advancements in health-and-wellness and science.
