President Lai Ching-te (front center) holds a cartoon character promoting a healthy Taiwan at a World Cancer Day event, Feb. 4 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of Presidential Office)

President Lai Ching-te attended a media event marking World Cancer Day, Feb. 4 in Taipei City. He reiterated the goal of reducing the cancer mortality rate by one third by 2030. 

Lai noted that for over four decades cancer has been the leading cause of death in the country and that annually over 50,000 citizens die of the disease.

As a legislator in 2003, Lai was a member of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee and promoted the Cancer Control Act under which hospitals had a duty to report cancer cases. He also supported the National Cancer Prevention and Control Program which was launched in 2005 and has entered its fifth phase this year.

After taking office last May, the president established the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. Under the committee, specific measures implemented to prevent cancer include: an increase of funding for expanded screening programs; advancements in genetic testing and precision medicine; and next generation sequencing to target disease-appropriate medication, which has been covered by the national health insurance system since May 1, 2023.

Lai concluded by lauding Taipei City-headquartered Hope Foundation For Cancer Care for their long-standing support for patients and  families. (POC-E)