Universal health care must be above politics. Anybody anywhere must have access to and be able to afford the best doctors, and the best medicine and health-care systems, “because we are all human.”
This is the principle being championed by Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin, Taiwan Economic Cooperation Office [Teco] representative in the Philippines; “So that many Filipinos, being a close neighbor, would have access to Taiwan’s medical facilities, which is one of the best in the world, second only to Japan.”
“Taiwan has made great contributions to the world’s health, not only to the Philippines. We provided lots of medical services from here, for charity or otherwise. Taiwan extended help following the devastation of Supertyphoon Yolanda, and we also provided many missions to treat other people,” Lin added.
He said Taiwan has also provided many medical contributions and aid to small developing countries in the Pacific, including Solomon Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, Nauro and those in West and Central Africa, including Swaziland.
Lin added Taiwan’s medical care is one of the best in the world, and requested the Filipinos to support their participation in the 71st World Health Assembly [WHA].
“This is to realize the World Health Organization’s [WHO] vision of a seamless global disease-prevention network, which is in line with the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goal 3, to ensure healthy lives and promote the wellbeing for all ages by 2030,” he told the BusinessMirror.
“We should not allow politics to interfere, politics should be out of this. We as human beings must work together to enjoy better health,” Lin added.
He noted that there are others that are “using politics” to prevent Taiwan from participating in the WHA. “Not only that, but they also use all the means to delay [Taiwan’s] membership in the IHR [International Health Regulation].”
“We would like to appeal to the Philippine public and government, for our mutual interest, please support Taiwan’s [participation in the WHA],” he added.
Lin said it is important for the Filipinos to support Taiwan’s bid because many Filipino travelers pass through Taiwan.
“Viruses and all epidemics do not recognize borders. We are one country, we’re close neighbors, everyday you have millions of Filipinos passing Taiwan, traveling from North America, Japan, they pass Taiwan so if any epidemic breakdown occurs, Filipinos will be affected, we are not isolated.”
He said Taiwan’s Minister of Health, Dr. Chen Shih-Chung, has issued a statement, saying although Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization (WHO), “Taiwan has offered universal health coverage to our island’s 23 million citizens since 1995.”
He added the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) has integrated medical programs from all insurance systems for laborers, framers, government employees, “which covered only half the population.” It has been expanded to provide equal coverage to all [Taiwanese] citizens from birth, regardless of age, financial or employment status. “The NHI is a public program run by the government based on a single-pay model.”
“You pay only $500 and everything is taken care of, like the cost of the operation, and associated expenses, including medicine,” Chen added.
In comparison, the cost of admission in many hospitals in the Philippines is from P10,000 to P20,000 [$400], which covers only the various tests and examinations. This does not include the professional fees of doctors, and the cost of staying in the hospital.
Because of their excellent health care, Chen said life expectancy in Taiwan on
average is 83.4 years for women and 76.8 for men. “Yet health-care costs are far lower in Taiwan than in most highly developed countries in Europe and North America, at $1,430 per capita per year, representing 6.3 percent of GDP in 2016.”
“In a globalized world, it is impossible for countries to overcome all their health-care challenges on their own. It is only through interdisciplinary and international cooperation that we can build a global health system that consistently and cost-effectively meet the health-care needs of the world’s citizens and bring fruition to the WHO’s ultimate goal of health for all,” Chen said.
He added: “Is it regrettable that political obstruction led to Taiwan being denied any invitation to the 70th WHA as observer last year,” as the WHO failed to abide by its constitution, but also ignored widespread calls for Taiwan’s inclusion, coming from many nations and international medical groups.
He said against this backdrop, “Taiwan seeks participation in the 71st WHA this year.”