【Press Conference】Taiwan’s “Smart Healthcare” Development Press Conference
2023/03/17
Professor Lee Bo-Chang, a guest professor at Taipei Medical University’s School of Public Health, pointed out that during his 6 years and 8 months of service at the National Health Insurance Administration, he has developed a deep attachment to Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system and hopes for its sustainable operation. Being a capitation-based system with limited resources, it cannot fully cover all new drugs and medical technologies. He acknowledged that merely “patching up” the system is not a fundamental solution. It is essential to explore ways to increase revenue and reduce expenses, and to implement a graded healthcare system to effectively prevent medical waste. This allows the public to make use of private health insurance to share medical risks.
Dr. Lee Chung-Hsi, the Associate Director of Taipei Medical University’s Health and Welfare Policy Research Center, emphasized that Taiwan’s medical industry requires a solid foundation supported by technology, medical expertise, and proper regulations for sustainable development. However, the current personal data protection laws in Taiwan are lacking, and the concept of data security is insufficient. He suggested referring to the experience of the European Union in integrating and utilizing health data, allowing medical institutions willing to experiment with innovative digital healthcare without fear of rigid regulatory restrictions. By integrating technology industry policies with the healthcare service system from a long-term perspective, Taiwan’s healthcare system’s efficiency can be enhanced.
