According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s statistics on the top 10 causes of death in 2023, cardiovascular disease related to hypertension, such as heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertensive disease, ranked as the 2nd, 4th, and 7th leading causes of death, respectively. Hypertension often presents no symptoms, earning it the nickname “the silent killer.”

To enhance public awareness and ability to manage hypertension, the National Health Service has collaborated with the Taiwan Hypertension Society, the National Union of Pharmacists Associations of the Republic of China, private organizations, drugstores, and community pharmacies to establish a nationwide blood pressure measurement network, which provides convenient and accessible blood pressure measurement services to the public. Through consultations with community pharmacists, it helps people to better manage their blood pressure. According to the 2017-2020 National Nutrition and Health Status Change Survey, the prevalence of hypertension among people aged 18 and above is 26.8 percent. However, according to the 2018 Health Promotion Business Status and Achievement Survey, 75 percent of people aged 18 and above have had their blood pressure measured at least once a year, demonstrating awareness of the importance of self-managing blood pressure health.

According to Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics on the top 10 causes of death in 2023, diabetes ranks as the 5th leading cause. Since 2003, the country has promoted the Diabetes Shared Care Network across all 22 counties and cities to strengthen the quality of diabetes care. This includes the development of medical personnel and certification training systems, which have trained 16,000 health care professionals for the Diabetes Shared Care Network. A multidisciplinary team of medical personnel has been established to effectively improve diabetes patients’ condition control and quality of care.

Additionally, to enhance public health literacy on diabetes prevention and treatment, the National Health Agency has developed diabetes-related posters and the “Diabetes and Me” handbook to help diabetes patients manage the condition. In conjunction with World Diabetes Day each year, the agency collaborates with local health bureaus, relevant academic institutions, and associations to organize press conferences and awareness activities to promote the importance of diabetes care.

In line with WHO recommendations, Taiwan offers subsidized screenings for five types of cancer: breast, cervical, colorectal, oral and lung cancer. Research shows that cervical screening can lower the incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer by about 70 percent. Since 1995, Taiwan health authorities have encouraged women aged 30 and above to receive cervical cancer screening at least once every three years. Women aged 30 and above with an NHI Card and National Identification Card can receive free screenings at NHI-contracted clinics and hospitals. As of 2024, a total of approximately 2.127 million women had been screened, resulting in about 1,270 diagnoses of cervical cancer and 2,633 diagnoses of cervical carcinoma in situ. In addition, precancerous lesions were identified in 8,792 patients. The standardized incidence rate for cervical cancer in Taiwan decreased from 25.2 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 7.6 per 100,000 people in 2022. The standardized mortality rate for cervical cancer dropped from 11.0 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 2.9 per 100,000 in 2023, representing a reduction of around 70 percent.

The Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”) was passed in 1997. To implement the legislation and to follow the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the Act was amended and implemented in 2009. Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare has launched various programs in line with the WHO’s MPOWER measures.  Under the initiative, the WHO urges countries to monitor tobacco use, protect people from tobacco use, offer help to quit tobacco use, warn about the dangers of tobacco, enforce bans on tobacco advertising and promotion, and increase taxes on tobacco products. The measures unveiled in Taiwan include expanding no smoking areas, introducing new health warning texts and pictures on tobacco product containers, prohibiting tobacco advertising and promotion; increasing the Health and Welfare surcharge on tobacco products, and strengthening cessation services. The smoking prevalence rate among people over 18 in Taiwan decreased from 21.9 percent in 2008 to 12.8 percent in 2024. In addition, the smoking rate among senior high school students decreased from 14.8 percent in 2007 to 6.7 percent in 2023, while the smoking rate among junior high school students smoking decreased from 7.8 percent in 2008 to 2.0 percent in 2023. Taiwan has already achieved the WHO’s target of noncommunicable diseases (Noncommunicable Diseases, NCD) target of a 30 percent relative reduction in the prevalence of tobacco use by 2025.

However, with the emergence of electronic cigarettes, new types and flavored tobacco products, the existing regulatory framework had become insufficient to protect public health, especially among young people. Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, referring to the WHO FCTC, experiences from other countries, and opinions from all walks of life, initiated the amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. The amendment took effect on March 22, 2023. The highlights of the amendment include banning all kinds of imitation tobacco products (e.g. electronic cigarettes), requiring designated tobacco products (e.g. heated tobacco products) to undergo the health risk assessment review, raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 20, expanding the labeling of health warning texts and images on tobacco product containers shall not be less than 50 percent, expanding smoking-free public places and increasing penalties.