According the MOHW’s data, treatments for kidney problems continued to top the NHI spending chart in 2017, followed by treatments for dental/oral diseases and diabetes.  In 2017, treatments for acute kidney failure and chronic kidney problems alone cost the NHI NT$50.36 billion.

Based on the data in 2017, there were about 358,000 patients with kidney problems in Taiwan.  Among them, 87,400 patients were under dialysis treatment, which cost the NHI NT$43.3 billion in 2017.  The NHI also spent NT$44.3 billion on treating dental & oral diseases, and NT$29.6 billion on diabetes treatments.

Last year, over 13.95 million hospital/clinic visits were about treatments for colds and flu, ranking the fourth on the 2017 NHI spending chart and costing the NHI NT$25.3 billion in total.  

Surprisingly, schizophrenia treatments entered the top-10 chart for the first time.  There were 134,000 patients with schizophrenia.  The treatments cost the NHI NT$12.7 billion in 2017.  The rising cost was reckoned to be associated with the launch of quite a few new drugs which performs better but cost higher.

【2018-08-05/ Liberty Times】