•Publication Date：05/01/2013
•Source： Taiwan Today
An all-in-one card featuring public transportation and health services was launched April 30 by Taipei City Government.
“Taipei Card will eventually cover a whole range of municipal services, just like the 1999 Citizen Hotline,” Mayor Hau Lung-bin said.
These include the Department of Social Welfare’s volunteer and senior citizen cards, along with the Department of Cultural Affairs’ membership card for Taipei Cultural Center, he added.
In the initial stage the card will cover the functions of an EasyCard, a stored-value card for public transportation and small-value purchases, as well as a Wellness Card, which offers discount points when city residents take advantage of health services.
“The Second Generation Wellness Card incorporated in the Taipei Card puts special focus on screening for cancer, tuberculosis, dementia and mood changes, as well as tests on child development and preschool checkups, to promote better health among our citizens,” Hau said.
“As an incentive, cash value will be added to the EasyCard when people make use of these health services.”
Terry B.J. Kuo, a professor at National Yang-Ming University and member of the card’s development team, said that through connection to the city’s health cloud, the card can not only record medical data, but also provide long-term analysis of blood pressure and blood sugar levels, notifying the cardholder by email or text message when necessary.
Lin Chi-hung, commissioner of the city’s Department of Health, said the system protects the individual’s identity if the card is lost, preventing exposure of the cardholder’s personal data.
According to Lin Li-ju, head of the DOH Health Promotion Division, residents need only take their EasyCards to any branch of Taipei City Hospital or one of the 12 district health centers to apply for a free card.
