Attaining the highest available standard of wellness is a fundamental human right in the eyes of the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a principle shared by Taiwan and one the government is constantly working to realize, in part through institutions like the National Health Insurance Administration, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and covers nearly the entire population. Despite this alignment on the importance of good health and quality medical care, the WHO and its decisionmaking body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), continue to deny the world seamless access to Taiwan’s experience and expertise.

Innovation is key to Taiwan’s success, and as the country addresses the needs of its growing elderly population, it has a great deal to offer other nations who will face similar issues in the not-too-distant future. A ll around Taiwan, group homes for older residents are integrating advanced data analysis techniques into care plans that also incorporate high-tech wearables for the tracking of diet and activity to improve people’s quality of life, no matter their age. As Taiwan ramps up its development of artificial intelligence (AI), the multifaceted technology is working its way into diagnostic and detection devices, including a system developed by the National Health Research Institutes in the northern county of Miaoli that uses lasers to monitor blood circulation around wounds, then applies AI algorithms to assess the healing process.

The country’s knowledge and skill across the medical field are highly regarded by its allies and other friends, with whom it shares training and equipment. Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund, with which government ministries frequently cooperate, ran a project in Eswatini to enhance preand postnatal care that reduced the kingdom’s infant mortality rate sigificantly. A Ministry of Health and Welfare program called One Country, One Center was launched in 2018 to partner prestigious medical centers in Taiwan with counterparts around Asia for the purpose of conducting exchanges and offering training. Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, operator of Taiwan’s largest network of medical facilities, has expanded beyond a single center in its work with Malaysia and currently collaborates with 13 hospitals around the country, putting them in contact with Taiwan’s top producers of medical technology. The network has gone so far as donating essential equipment, including 15 new hemodialysis machines, to its partners in Malaysia.

The world knows that chipping in with Taiwan, a tech powerhouse, can contribute to a healthier global community: at the 77th annual WHA meeting last year, Taiwan’s diplomatic allies were outspoken in their advocacy for its inclusion as an observer. Fifteen other countries also voiced support, as did Belgium in its capacity as representative for the European Union.

The WHA’s decision to continue placing politics above the right to health is a betrayal of both Taiwan’s 23.4 million people and the rest of the world’s 8 billion, as well as a misarriage of the WHO’s core duty: to enable everyone, everywhere to access the highest level of health. China’s continued distortion of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758, which neither mentions Taiwan nor gives China the right to represent Taiwan in the U.N. system, must be redressed. Let reason reign—bring Taiwan into the fold not only because it is logical and legally sound, but because it will lead to better health outcomes for the entire world.

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• 2025 WHA