Public and private efforts to develop communities have paid handsome dividends in raising citizen awareness, benefiting local businesses and communities, and expanding volunteer networks as well as community care stations, said Premier Mao Chi-kuo today at the Cabinet's weekly meeting.
After a briefing by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), the premier thanked the ministry and other agencies for their hard work that has nourished a diverse array of communities across the island. Taiwan boasts a long history of community development, which during earlier years helped maintain social stability. Now that the country is becoming an aged society, communities will be vital for integrating social and medical care systems, which will enable aging in place, lower the rate of disability, and help the elderly regain their vigor. Communities can also be a platform for promoting child care and youth entrepreneurship, he said.
There are many ministries and departments involved in community development, hence it would be prudent to divide the work into different levels, Premier Mao suggested. The MOHW is at the heart of this work and it should first concentrate on realigning policies and goals. The Ministry of Labor can help supply supporting personnel and training. Such collaboration would consolidate medical services, care services and community services, he said.
As for other initiatives such as the Council of Agriculture's rural regeneration program, the Ministry of the Interior's urban and rural renewal projects, and the Ministry of Culture's community empowerment programs, Premier Mao asked the National Development Council to combine them during budget review to avoid overlapping efforts and to allocate resources more efficiently.