All Hands On Deck

Achieving global universal health coverage, a major objective of the World Health Organization (WHO), is a monumental task requiring All Hands On Deck. As evidenced by the National Health Insurance (NHI) program, few if any countries possess Taiwan’s know-how in developing accessible, affordable and effective public medical infrastructure. Facilitating the nation’s meaningful participation in the World Health Assembly—the decision-making body of the WHO—will bring this vital experience to bear in realizing the lofty goal of Health For All.

Established in 1995, the NHI is irrefutable proof of Taiwan’s expertise in universal coverage. Based on the principle of leave no one behind, the single-payer plan covers 99.9 percent of the population. It offers convenient and cost-effective access to inpatient and outpatient services, dental procedures, prescription medications and traditional Chinese treatments, while allowing users to choose doctors and obtain specialty care without referral.

The NHI is renowned for exceptional levels of efficiency. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), administrative costs accounted for a miniscule 0.87 percent of the program budget in 2018, while health expenditures in Taiwan totaled a mere 6.3 percent of gross domestic product. Considering the quality of care and scope of coverage, these figures are understandably envied by governments around the world. They also demonstrate why the NHI is regularly held up as the blue-ribbon standard in universal coverage.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shihchung (陳時中) discusses Taiwan’s commitment to strengthening global health care and why it warrants inclusion as an observer in the 72nd World Health Assembly (WHA)—the decisionmaking body of the World Health Organization (WHO)—May 20-28 in Geneva. PHOTO BY CHIN HUNG-HAO

With all WHO members aiming to implement such systems as part of the 2030 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Taiwan’s insights are indispensable. Excluding it from this global mission is akin to benching a star player during double overtime. The diligent, gifted NHI administrators are willing and able to take up this challenge and share knowledge through pragmatic and constructive participation in the WHO.

Taiwan’s expertise applies not only to universal coverage, but in the overall realization of SDG 3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. The nation has extensive experience in strengthening health care delivery abroad through boosting the skill sets of foreign medical professionals. One of its many initiatives in this regard is the Taiwan International Healthcare Training Center. Founded in 2002, the MOHW overseen facility had arranged courses for some 1,500 health professionals from 65 countries and territories by the end of last year.

Equally significant is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-funded medical degree scholarship for college graduates from Taiwan’s allies. Since the launch of the program in 2013, a total of 218 young people have enrolled in the specially created School of Medicine for International Students at I-Shou University in the southern city of Kaohsiung.

The university uses various aids to teach anatomy, including cutting-edge 3-D imaging systems and human organ models. (Photos by Huang Chung-hsin and courtesy of ISU)

Education programs aside, Taiwan is on the front lines in communities around the globe, delivering services where they are needed most. Every year, hospitals nationwide conduct overseas medical missions or dispatch specialists to help raise health care standards. Among the many examples is Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City, which has offered numerous free clinics and performed complex surgeries in Belize. And under a six-year, US$12.7 million memorandum of understanding concluded March 13 between Taiwan and Eswatini, Taipei Medical University Hospital will cooperate with the Beautiful Kingdom’s Ministry of Health in enhancing clinic services, staff training and public health research.

Through the NHI and foreign cooperation programs, Taiwan demonstrates time and time again its credentials in helping realize SDG 3 and global universal health coverage. Actions speak louder than words, and the nation’s efforts sound a mighty roar. The time has come for the WHO to hear this call and make sure Taiwan participates in its activities and meetings. When it comes to Health For All, it goes without saying: Taiwan Can Help.

Read more:Health for all - Taiwan can help