The Formosa Cancer Foundation (FCF), HOPE Foundation for Cancer Care (HOPE) and the Taiwan Young Patient Association on Dec. 6 voiced support for the government’s aspiration of lowering cancer death rates. However, the patient groups also urged the government to recognize that there are gaps in coverage of many basic cancer treatment options and called for a reexamination of resource allocation to better align Taiwan’s cancer care with international standards.

HOPE highlighted that significant limitations remain in Taiwan’s cancer care reimbursement policies, including restrictions on treatment regimen duration, indications, and inflexibility in substituting or combining therapies. FCF Vice President Tsai Li-chuan stated that the National Health Insurance, on which cancer patients heavily rely, should address current gaps in reimbursement coverage that have caused Taiwan to lag behind international treatment guidelines and fail to meet medical needs. The government should reassess resource allocation priorities and develop plans to enhance cancer care in the short, medium, and long term.

Patient groups also voiced concerns that the NHI fee schedule excludes many cancer drugs listed in international clinical guidelines. They warned that this situation not only prevents domestic studies from being published in international medical journals but also limits the number of patients eligible for global clinical trials and restricts access to new drugs, harming patients, academics, and the medical community.

[2024-12-5/ United Daily News]