Premier Jiang Yi-huah today presided over a meeting of the Executive Yuan Board of Science and Technology (BOST) to discuss policies and developments in this field.
After hearing the Department of Health's (DOH) report on promoting self-sufficiency in the production of vaccines for human use, Premier Jiang instructed the DOH to join hands with relevant agencies to advance toward this goal through research and development (R&D), industrial development, regulatory inspection as well as procurement and market expansion to meet the threats from various newly emergent infectious diseases and safeguard Taiwanese citizens' health.
According to the DOH, Taiwan has seen outbreaks of enterovirus 71 as well as H5N1 and H7N9 influenzas in recent years, but it has had to rely on international pharmaceutical manufacturers for the supply of more than 90 percent of its vaccines. If that dependence continues, in the future Taiwan could face a shortage of vaccines if it were struck by a domestic or international epidemic.
Although the National Health Research Institutes has achieved progress in vaccine R&D, it still has to rely on pharmaceutical manufacturers for mass production of vaccines, noted the premier. He asked the DOH to map out a fair and reasonable mechanism for manufacturers to kick off the timely production of H7N9 influenza vaccines so as to prevent the disease from endangering the citizenry's health and the nation's security.
The BOST also briefed Premier Jiang on Taiwan's international ranking in networked readiness and its competitiveness in information and communications technology (ICT). In response to the report, which mentioned that Taiwan placed 10th in the Networked Readiness Index of the Global Information Technology Report 2013 released by the World Economic Forum last month, Premier Jiang expressed gratitude to various government agencies for their efforts in ICT construction, saying, "your efforts have received international recognition, and they have put Taiwan in the elite ranks of information societies."
Premier Jiang further pointed out that Taiwan's overall ICT index and global developmental trends show the country still has room for improvement in legal deregulation, mobile broadband penetration, and telecommunications and Internet connection fees. He instructed the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), National Communications Commission and other relevant agencies to continue to seek progress on these fronts.
"This administration is focused on implementing policies and services that are closely related to people's lives," Jiang said. He asked the various ministries to capitalize on the island's ICT prowess to meet citizens' desire for "smart living" so that they will feel the difference the government's services make in their daily lives.
After the BOST delivered a report on cloud computing and its applications for industrial development, the premier noted that the program has achieved considerable success under the supervision of the Minister without Portfolio Chang San-cheng and the coordination of relevant ministries. Jiang particularly emphasized that the "government cloud" portion must be carried out as planned and that communication with the industrial sector must be strengthened. He also stated that the domestic capabilities for R&D of key technologies must be increased to help Taiwanese industries further open overseas markets.
The Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) has been promoting the integration of cloud servers and enhancement of energy efficiency, which could not only reduce government spending but also raise the quality of private-sector cloud servers. The premier asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the RDEC to ensure that cloud service standards are raised and an ad hoc office and data centers are established to facilitate the plan's implementation. Moreover, calling the development of cloud testing platforms an innovative way of creating a win-win situation that helps meet the needs of both the public and private sectors, the premier asked the MOEA to continue its scheduled plan and all other ministries to actively participate in the program.