活動花絮

Speaker: Lee Po-Chang, Director of the Health and Welfare Policy Research Center, Taipei Medical University

Topic: NHI Sustainability: Evidence-Based National Health Insurance Policy Making

Location: Cheng-Pu Hall, 4th Floor, Front Building of the Medical Complex, Taipei Medical University

During the conference, Director Lee Po-Chang pointed out the imbalance in resource allocation within Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) system. A significant amount of resources are overly invested in short-term treatments for non-chronic patients, while long-term care for chronic patients lacks sufficient support. He emphasized that the frequent use of outpatient services for minor illnesses leads to the dispersion and waste of medical resources, which compresses resources needed for chronic disease management, weakens the system’s long-term effectiveness, and increases the financial burden. If these issues are neglected for too long, it may jeopardize the sustainable development of the entire healthcare system.

Furthermore, the Director stated that the NHI system must balance short-term treatment needs with long-term care, ensuring more rational resource allocation. Finally, he stressed the importance of the hierarchical medical system to prevent minor ailments from over-consuming public healthcare resources, ensuring that critical resources are effectively channeled into chronic disease management. Only through systematic reform can the sustainable development of the NHI system be enhanced, ultimately promoting the health and well-being of the entire population.