Hsieh Si-Min, the Secretary General of the Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan (IDST), pointed out the problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics in Taiwan.  According to Hsieh, the number of bacteria showing resistance to drugs is growing faster than the R&D of new treatments. To address this problem, the US government has introduced a fast-track mechanism for drugs which meet urgent medical needs.  The IDST urges the Taiwanese authority to follow suit by simplifying the procedure for listing urgently needed new antibiotics in the NHI Benefit Scheme.  
Dr Huang Li-Min, the President of the IDST, pointed out that the Japanese government has set up a budget for a scheme to combat drug resistance in 2020.  The purpose of this scheme is to reduce the drug resistance of major bacteria, including streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus and escherichia coli, within five years.
Also, the South Korean government has implemented a new policy after the outbreak of MERS.  Under the new policy, the authority charges hospitalized patients an infection control fee, pays hospitals for the assessment of prescriptions of antibiotics, trains health professionals in infection control, sets budgets for hospitals’ infection controls, and proactively tackle the challenges of drug resistance. 
Dr Huang expressed that it requires the healthcare system, the medical professionals and the availability of drugs to solve the drug resistance problems.  It is a matter of urgency to train health professionals about drug resistance, the correct use of antibiotics and the introduction of new antibiotics.
Some hospitals have already introduced a system to manage antibiotics.  Doctors are asked to examine patients two days after the use of antibiotics and then decide whether to continue the administration of antibiotics or not. 
【2019-11-18 / United Daily News】