Premier Jiang Yi-huah today attended the unveiling ceremony of the international medical care center at Taipei Songshan Airport, part of the Free Economic Pilot Zone (FEPZ) program. Ceremonies for three other centers—at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taichung Airport, and Kaohsiung International Airport—were held simultaneously, and the four events were linked via video conferencing.
"International medical services are one of the prioritized fields in the FEPZ program. Taiwan outperforms many other countries in medical care and is thus in a better position to tap into this global market, which is growing by the day. This advantage should be fully utilized to help Taiwan grab a bigger global market share, spur economic growth and create more jobs. It is one of the key steps to transforming Taiwan's economy," Jiang said.
The premier was joined by President Ma Ying-jeou, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta, Taiwan External Trade Development Council Chairman Wang Chih-kang, and Taipei City Deputy Mayor Tim T. Y. Ting at the Taipei center's ceremony, while Taoyuan County Mayor Wu Chih-yang, Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu and Kaohsiung City Deputy Mayor Lee Yung-te each attended the ceremonies of their jurisdictions' respective airports.
"The establishment of these four centers is a new milestone for Taiwan's international medical care industry," Jiang said. "It indicates Taiwan's determination to become a free economic island and is a concrete breakthrough of the FEPZ program."
Through deregulation and industry transformation, the FEPZ program is intended to make Taiwan a free and globalized economy, discover promising industries and create another economic upturn. As these reforms require various legal amendments, the program is to be implemented in two stages. The first phase started in mid-August of this year, while the second will be launched once the special regulations for the FEPZ are approved by the Legislative Yuan, the premier said.
The Executive Yuan has demanded ministries working on the FEPZs to prioritize operations that can be immediately deregulated so the benefits of the program can be felt as soon as possible. The premier said he is very pleased with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) for expediently bringing together over 40 major medical centers to set up the international medical service centers with just a few months of preparation after the first-phase FEPZs debuted in August this year.
"International medical care and health care are very competitive industries of the future for our nation," Jiang remarked. "According to a global market survey, there are US$40 to US$60 billion of medical treatment and health care business opportunities worldwide every year. MOHW statistics reveal that Taiwan's medical and health care production value is currently NT$13 billion (US$440 million), which comprises only 1 percent of the potential global market. Given the high standards of Taiwanese medicine, the nation can do more. It has the opportunity to carve a better niche in the increasingly growing global medical industry."
The nation's deployments in industry and the economy as a whole can be seen in the unveiling of the international medical service centers, stated the premier, who hopes other competitive industries will likewise quickly demonstrate their future orientations. He also expects the government and the private sector to work together to jointly promote Taiwan's international medical services to the world.
The newly established international medical service centers are projected to serve around eight million visitors to Taiwan per year, the MOHW pointed out. They are also expected to burnish the outstanding image of Taiwanese medicine and services, spur the development of peripheral health and biotechnology industries and create high-quality job opportunities.
Aside from continuing its oversight and evaluation of certified medical institutions, the MOHW will ensure that the citizenry's medical rights and treatment quality as well as the rights of emergency, major and rare disease patients are unaffected. Meanwhile, it will strive to integrate both overseas and domestic private sector resources, steadily develop an international health care industry with Taiwanese characteristics, and safeguard the nation's edge in global medical competitiveness.