The preparatory committee of the Healthy Taiwan Alliance (HTA) on Dec. 27 reviewed progress on President William Lai's health policies and recommended the government to increase investments in healthcare, expand the National Health Insurance's (NHI) revenue streams, quicken NHI reforms, improve the working condition of health professionals as well as increase funding for new drugs and expedite the inclusion of new drugs on the NHI fee schedule to ensure that Taiwan’s healthcare is aligned with international standards.

HTA Convenor Wu Yu-chin said that President Lai has yet to outline specific measures in his 2024 health policies to raise healthcare expenditures from its current level to 8-11% of GDP. She also noted that policies intended to improve patients' access to new drugs and raising NHI reimbursement match international standards have fallen short of expectations, disappointing both patients and industries.

Taiwan Young Patient Association Vice President Eric Liu urged the government to expedite the inclusion of new drugs on the NHI schedule and increase annual funding for new drugs, ensuring that the scope of reimbursements aligns with international guidance and new drugs achieve optimal therapeutic efficacy.

[2024-12-27/Central News Agency (CNA)]