Premier Lin Chuan today said that he expects the National Taiwan University Hospital's branch at the Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park (HBSP) will link industrial and academic research and development, provide Hsinchu and Miaoli residents with the best health care services, and help the university's college of medicine become a world-renowned institution.
Speaking at the new hospital's ground-breaking ceremony, the premier also said that biomedicine is a key element in the government's "five plus two" innovative industries policy, and the construction of the hospital marks an important milestone.
There are still some bottlenecks on the road to economic development, the premier said, and Taiwan must undergo structural transformation to become an advanced country. Creating more high value-added jobs will help resolve past problems of low costs, low prices and industrial relocation, and the biomedical industry is an innovative sector that can enhance added value. Taiwan thus needs the biomedical industry as a role model to show the way to industrial growth.
Taiwan has the right environment to develop the biomedical industry, with excellent medical talent and health care services that rank third globally and first in Asia, the premier continued. In the past, many of Taiwan's students went abroad for advanced studies. Having achieved success in biomedicine, they have returned home to set up innovative enterprises, helping sharpen Taiwan's edges in the field, and the premier expressed hope that biomedicine will become a star industry.
Citing Hsinchu Science Park's success in promoting the growth of Taiwan's information and communications industry and its extensive influence island-wide, Premier Lin encouraged the HBSP to become a driving force that can help Taiwan's related industries make progress.
The hospital at HBSP is slated to begin operations in 2020. Premier Lin expressed hope that its construction can be completed by 2019 as scheduled to benefit more citizens.