Using big data to improve precision medicine and healthcare services is now an international trend. The MOHW invited representatives of the industry, the academia and the government to attend a summit meeting on the 27th. In the summit meeting, the health authority announced a road map to a holistic & precision healthcare system in 2030. The tasks will include the establishment of a gene bank holding the genetic data of over one million people, the promotion of new-born genomic sequencing, and the development of a robust regulatory system. This will lay down the foundation for the future development of new NHI reimbursement strategies for precision medicine.
Dr Chen Shih-Chung, Minister of the MOHW, expressed that the MOHW will take a proactive approach to build up the holistic & precision healthcare system on three axes of “precision medicine”, “NHI strategy” and “smart health”.
Dr Lee Po-Chang, Director-General of the NHIA, expressed that cancer treatments cost the NHI about NT$104.3 billion a year; however, many treatments have been prescribed as a bet and failed. The development of precision medicine will certainly increase the efficiency of the NHI fund.
Dr Lee pointed out that the NHIA started reimbursing immunotherapies for cancers in April, as of November 11, 26% of the total 649 patients receiving the immunotherapies have given positive responses. The NHIA will collaborate with the National Health Research Institute to analyse those patients’ genes and create a domestic gene bank so as to support the development of precision medicine.
【2019-12-27 / United Evening News】
