By Pat Gao

Taiwan International Healthcare Training Center has assisted over 2,000 health professionals from all over the world including Harsh Mahesh Jakhetia, front center, a dermatopathologist from India. (Courtesy of Ministry of Health and Welfare)

Taiwan leverages its medical expertise to strengthen the global health network.

“Taiwan Can Help” is more than just a slogan; it is an attitude that results in real change and deeply affects how lives at home and abroad are improved through Taiwan’s healthcare prowess.

Taiwan took early, effective action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and received global recognition for this. While local people were vigilant in taking protective measures, credit for the country’s pandemic control, treatment and recovery is largely due to the universal health insurance system managed by the National Health Insurance (NHI) Administration under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW). Launched in 1995, the NHI system offers easy, affordable access to both Western and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). During the pandemic, the NHI ensured fair and convenient distribution of medical masks for citizens nationwide and provided quarantined individuals with quality care as well as other critical services.

The Maternal and Infant Health Care Improvement Project in the Kingdom of Eswatini helps expand healthcare capacity for pregnant women and newborns throughout Taiwan’s African ally. (Courtesy of TaiwanICDF)

Taiwan’s expertise in comprehensive health services and disease control are evidenced by the country’s wide-ranging international outreach programs. A prime example is the work of the Taiwan International Healthcare Training Center (TIHTC). Founded in 2002 by the MOHW and administered by Taipei Hospital in New Taipei City, the center offers training classes in a variety of fields ranging from clinical medicine and TCM to health care management. Over the past two decades, more than 2,000 health professionals from 77 countries have completed courses. Among the trainees was Harsh Mahesh Jakhetia, a dermatopathologist from India. “I’d really like to thank TIHTC for giving me such a valuable training experience,” he said. “Everything I’ve learned during my training reinforces my professional skills.”

An outreach program critical to future health is the Maternal and Infant Health Care Improvement Project in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Launched in 2016 in Taiwan’s African ally, the initiative seeks to provide comprehensive care to vulnerable pregnant women from the start of pregnancy through delivery to postnatal care. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)-backed Internationa l Cooperation a nd Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) is working with Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and Chiayi Christian Hospital in eastern and southern Taiwan, respectively, to carry out the project’s goals. As of the end of 2022, 617 nurses and midwives have taken part in 21 local training programs, and the infant mortality rate has dropped significantly.

Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system ensures fair and convenient distribution of medical masks for citizens nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Chin Hung-hao)

Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia last year, Taiwan was quick to not only voice support, but also take concrete action through the MOFA and nongovernmental organizations. The response included donations of cash and medical supplies to the eastern European country’s health care institutions such as Zaporizhzhia Regional Clinical Children’s Hospital and the Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, also known as Ukrainian Children’s Cardiac Center.

As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is ready, willing and able to make practical contributions to the world and help shape a better, brighter and healthier future for all.