Chen Shih-chung, minister of health and welfare and commander of the CECC, addresses participants during a TaiwanICDF-Terre des Hommes virtual forum on COVID-19 contact tracing technology app tracking May 19 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of TaiwanICDF)

Taipei City-headquartered International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) and Lausanne-based Terre des Hommes staged a virtual forum on COVID-19 contact tracing technology app tracking May 19 in Taipei City.
 
Participants included Chen Shih-chung, minister of health and welfare and commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center; Parng I-ming, director general of the MOHW’s Department of Information Management; Tony Wu, a project manager with TaiwanICDF; Mohini Bhavsar, senior partnerships director with U.S.-based social enterprise Dimagi Inc.; Rahul Matthan, a partner with India-headquartered law firm Trilegal; and Joseph Wu, technical adviser with Norway-based health, church and social services association Luke International.
 
According to Chen, Taiwan is willing and able to share its experiences in combating coronavirus, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. The Taiwan Model saves lives and can strengthen the global response to managing the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
 
Echoing Chen’s remarks, Parng detailed the role of information and communication technology in the Taiwan Model. Linking the databases of the National Health Insurance system, Customs Administration under the Ministry of Finance and National Immigration Agency under the Ministry of the Interior played a key role in enhancing public sector cooperation and facilitating an all hands on deck approach, he added.
 
TaiwanICDF’s Wu, Bhavsar and LIN’s Wu shared experiences using contact tracing in countries with developing ICT infrastructure such as Madagascar, Malawi, Paraguay and Togo, while Matthan highlighted related privacy issues.
 
TaiwanICDF is the country’s foremost foreign assistance organization, while Terre des Hommes is one of Switzerland’s leading global providers of children’s aid. (TYT-E)