After being briefed by the Department of Health (DOH) on the Health Care Value-added Platinum Program July 4, Premier Sean Chen spoke about long-term care, international and cross-strait medical care and intelligent medical service. He also called for a public debate between medical professionals, which he said would inform deliberations on revising regulations and improving medical services.
According to DOH statistics, Taiwan will become an aged society (a society in which at least 14 percent of the population is over 65 years old) in 2017 and a super-aged society (a society with at least 20 percent of the population over age 65) in 2025. Premier Chen indicated that Taiwan's aging trend is irreversible, so preparations for both industries and systems need to be stepped up.
"First of all, we have to solve the demographic problem," Chen said. "On the one hand, the birth rate should be raised to narrow the gap between the aged and working populations. On the other hand, the health care workforce should be cultivated, whether that means training local employees or introducing foreign caretakers."
The DOH indicated that international and cross-strait health care could expand quickly. It noted that in 2010, there were about 14,000 visits to Taiwan for medical care, producing NT$3.6 billion (US$114 million) in revenue. These numbers are expected to boom in years to come, it added.
The premier responded that Taiwanese health services should put Taiwanese people first. Hence, the field's first and foremost concern should be strengthening its fundamentals by providing nationals a sound health care system and upgrading professional standards for health care management. Following that, medical care can be exported overseas, but international health consultation services should be provided in Taiwan at the same time.
Since 2010, the number of people receiving intelligent medical service has risen from 489 to over 10,000, and the number of service providers has increased from 6 to 130, according to the DOH. The premier asked for further analysis of this data that can serve as a reference for policymaking. He also asked the DOH to further explain stipulations in the Medical Care Act related to long-distance and non-face-to-face medical services.
The premier also instructed the DOH to promptly invite medical professionals to publicly debate the questions "Is medical care an industry?" and "Is telemedicine a medical activity?" He said this would further clarify how medical care should develop and inform deliberations on revising regulations and improving medical services.
"The question of whether medical care should be considered an industry does not merely involve a shift in attitudes; it also influences amendments to medical regulations," the premier said. "Once a consensus is reached, legal questions related to the development of medical care can be resolved."