At Thursday's weekly Cabinet meeting, Premier Cho Jung-tai was briefed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on a national action plan for One Health antibiotic resistance management (2025-2029). The premier instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment to cooperate closely in order to facilitate a national cross-sector effort for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic resistance, including establishing national guidance on the proper use of medication, drug storage and correct methods for the disposal of medicines upon their expiration.
The premier said that the plan, approved to begin in 2025, will allocate funding of nearly NT$1.9 billion (US$59.7 million) over five years. Its holistic One Health framework will strengthen integration of ministries and agencies related to agriculture, medicine and food, and establish a national-level platform for treatment and prevention, so as to improve the management, monitoring and analysis of antibiotic resistance in humans, animals, foodstuffs and environments, as well as to reduce related harms.