Taiwan’s medical system must be bolstered: Chen‘WORKLOAD’: The nation’s medical system is efficient, but operating at peak performance at all times creates problems when extra challenges arise, the minister saidBy Jennifer Huang, Wu Liang-yi and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the nation’s medical system must be bolstered to shoulder disease prevention duties ranging from border controls to aiding local communities, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesA majority of Taiwan’s medical industry is in private hands and benign competition keeps the industry at peak efficiency, he said. Likewise, Taiwan’s medical system is wound too tight and its focus on peak efficiency would mean that when the time comes, its peak performance would be insufficient, Chen said. Public hospitals are comprised of ministry-operated hospitals, military hospitals, veterans’ hospitals, university-affiliated hospitals, and county or city hospitals, but they cannot collaborate, as they operate under different hierarchies, he said. However, the pandemic has highlighted a problem in the NHI system, which is insufficient funding, he said.

Source: Taipei Times May 17, 2020 15:56 UTC