Minister of Health and Welfare (MOHW) Hsueh Jui-yuan led a delegation of MOHW department leaders to attend Aisa-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC) 13th High-Level Meeting on Health and the Economy, which took place during August 3-6 and focused on forging resilient healthcare systems in the post-pandemic era. During the event, Minister Hsueh and the Asia Pacific Health Coalition (APHC) discussed how public-private partnerships and collaborations can improve the resilience of healthcare systems.

The APHC provided several recommendations for Taiwan, firstly increase investments into healthcare to speed up the introduction new drugs and new medical technologies as well as expanding new indications; secondly, establish a transparent and secure reimbursement decision making process; thirdly, collaborate with the APHC on improving vaccination coverage, healthy aging and improving supply chain resilience to safeguard the increasingly aging population.

In response, Minister Hsueh said that the government is expected to implement a new parallel drug review process by January 2024 to improve the efficiency of new drug reviews, adding that discussions to establish a Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) are also underway. Minister Hsueh also noted that in response to the changing healthcare needs of the aging population, his ministry is working on policy reforms on preventative care and the management of chronic diseases.

[2023-8-7/ United Daily News]