Premier Jiang Yi-huah today attended the inauguration ceremony of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), where he urged its minister, Chiu Wen-ta, to humbly solicit opinions from various sectors of society so that the agency will have a fresh and dynamic atmosphere from the start and meet the public's expectations.
"The establishment of the MOHW is a long-awaited event for everyone," noted Premier Jiang. In addition to expressing gratitude to the ministry's staffers for their efforts, he commended Minister Chiu for his coordination of the agency's establishment, which enabled today's ceremony to go off without a hitch.
"The idea of forming a health and welfare ministry by combining the Department of Health and the social welfare branches of the Ministry of the Interior to offer the people more timely and efficient services took shape while I was serving as minister of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission," indicated the premier. "The establishment of the MOHW shows that all of us are unanimous about achieving this goal."
Jiang expressed congratulations to the ministry members and hope that a new blueprint for the promotion of the health and welfare of Taiwanese citizens will be written under Minister Chiu's leadership.
The premier also expressed gratitude to all legislators for their help, especially Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, whose coordination and conciliation ensured the establishment of the new ministry gained the concerted support of both the ruling and opposition parties.
"The establishment of the MOHW is a milestone in the nation's health and social welfare policy," Jiang said. "It is also another great achievement in the government restructuring efforts initiated by President Ma Ying-jeou's administration four years ago.
"The restructuring of the Executive Yuan is an effort to adapt to changing times in order to continue providing essential services," the premier explained. "The establishment of the MOHW is a case in point. It is the result of years of discussions among experts and organizations about how to adapt to Taiwan's demographic changes and best provide social and medical care that meets citizens' needs from birth to death and through aging and illness."
The Executive Yuan's restructuring has yet to be completed, and organizational acts for some of the new ministries are still pending approval by the Legislative Yuan, the premier noted. He again called on legislators to quickly pass these acts so the process can be quickly concluded and government efficiency commensurately enhanced.