A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on health cooperation between Taiwan and the U.K. was signed on July 7, 2023. The memorandum includes provisions for bilateral healthcare reciprocity, enabling Taiwanese individuals traveling to the U.K. and the U.K. citizens travelling to Taiwan to enjoy health insurance coverage in the other country.

National Health Insurance Administration Director General Shih Chung-liang said that the inclusion of bilateral healthcare reciprocity in the MOU was proposed by the U.K. Currently, the U.K. and Australia have a reciprocal health insurance that allows individuals from both countries to join health insurance services for emergencies, accidents, and diseases such as the common cold while visiting the other country, excluding coverage for chronic disease.Director General Shih said that the NHIA still needs to assess the feasibility of bilateral health insurance cooperation once the U.K. provides more detailed information about the plan. 

Additionally, the partnership agreement previously signed by the NHIA, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the National Health Service (NHS) is expected to be operational in the second half of the year. British scholars will be coming to Taiwan for personnel training and technical discussions on health technology assessment (HTA) methodology.

[2023-7-11/STEN]