A round trip between Earth and Mars can take as little as 200 days, yet many cancer patients in Taiwan cannot even wait that long for innovative medicines to be reimbursed under the National Health Insurance (NHI) system. While the NT$10 billion Cancer Drug Fund has provided timely support, only NT$2.7 billion has been utilized so far, benefiting more than 3,500 patients. Medical experts are now calling for an increase in the fund's budget.
The Taiwan Young Patient Association held the 2026 Cancer Innovation Therapy Forum today, bringing together discussions on patient needs, equity in cancer care, access to innovative medicines, and NHI reimbursement strategies, with a focus on accelerating patients' access to new therapies.
Although Taiwan's NHI covers a significant portion of healthcare costs, Shen Yen-Sheng（沈延盛）, a member of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee and attending surgeon in the Department of Surgery at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, noted that substantial disparities remain in cancer care, resulting in unequal treatment outcomes for patients with the same disease.
Shen explained that five-year survival rates for lung, breast, and colorectal cancers have improved significantly due to effective screening programs and the availability of targeted therapies and immunotherapies under NHI reimbursement. In contrast, cancers such as extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and urothelial carcinoma continue to have relatively low—or even declining—five-year survival rates because of limited treatment options.
He further pointed out several barriers to equitable cancer care. First, healthcare resources remain unevenly distributed, with major medical centers concentrated in northern Taiwan. Patients living in eastern and southern rural regions often have less access to advanced treatments and innovative medicines. Smaller regional hospitals also handle fewer cancer cases, limiting surgical experience and treatment outcomes.
Second, the high cost of innovative therapies creates substantial financial toxicity. Treatments such as immuno-oncology (IO) therapies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can cost patients approximately NT$2 million to NT$3 million annually when paid out of pocket. Meanwhile, it takes an average of around 700 days for new medicines to complete the reimbursement review process, causing many patients to miss the optimal treatment window.
Although the Cancer Drug Fund provides temporary reimbursement support, Shen noted that the government allocated NT$10 billion to the fund in 2026. As of July 2026, NT$2.7 billion had been used, enabling more than 3,500 patients to receive innovative treatments. Nevertheless, 78% of oncologists surveyed still support increasing the fund's budget to provide earlier access to new therapies.
Shen urged the National Health Insurance Administration to accelerate the reimbursement review process for innovative medicines in order to reduce the gap between Taiwan and international treatment guidelines. He also called on healthcare institutions to expand telemedicine services, allowing regional hospitals and medical centers to conduct multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions remotely and narrow disparities in expertise and care.
Pan Yi-Ling（潘怡伶）, founding chairperson of the Taiwan Young Patient Association, emphasized that the true value of treatment advances ultimately depends on whether patients can access them when they need them most. Reducing cancer mortality is not only a healthcare issue but also an issue of health equity. She expressed hope that the government, medical professionals, and patient organizations will continue working together to ensure that clinically valuable therapies become more accessible to patients in real-world care.
【2026-07-08/CNA】
