On November 5, President Tsai Ing-wen attended the 14th General Assembly of the Taipei Pharmacists Association (TPA) and thanked pharmacists for safeguarding the health of the people alongside the government during the pandemic. TPA President Huang Chin-shun in his speech also underscored pharmacists’ participation in the government’s name-based mask distribution and expressed gratitude to the government for the opportunity to allow the public to see their contribution to public health.

In a change of subject, President Huang called on the government to establish a separate budget for drugs that is independent of the global budget. He pointed out that currently, only 10 percent of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance’s (NHI) NT$80 billion global budget is allocated to new drugs while drug prices have faced continued cuts, which have prompted some pharmaceutical companies to exit the market, to the detriment of domestic drug research and development efforts as well as restricting the public’s access to effective drugs. President Huang believes that a reform of NHI policies is necessary and hopes that the government will support the call for an independent drug budget to ensure access to safe drugs for all.

In her speech, President Tsai Ing-wen emphasized that the timely production of masks coupled with the support of pharmacists allowed for the successful implementation of the name-based mask distribution system. The President thanked the assistance of pharmacist groups during the pandemic. In response to the appeal for an independent drug budget, the President acknowledged that she is “not an expert in this field and will read up on the issue.” Regarding President Huang’s recommendations, President Tsai said that she will ask the Ministry of Health and Welfare and relevant competent authorities on NHI finances to discuss alternative solutions to improving the allocation of budgets to drugs and pharmacy related expenses within the NHI budget.

[2021-12-5/Liberty Times]