Island country implements yet another novel method of mask distribution
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/11
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
ID-based mask vending machine (Taipei City Government photo)
A collaboration between the city government’s technical task force, industry players, and the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA), the machines allow people to buy surgical masks via multiple payment options using their NHI cards for ID verification.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who tried the new service personally, said it took only 30 seconds to complete the purchase. He touted the invention as easy, reliable, and time-saving for the majority of office workers, who do not have the luxury of queuing up for masks at pharmacies, and seniors, who find it challenging to access the cellphone app-based mask rationing system, wrote UDN.
Building on its experience introducing smart vending machines on a host of high schools and elementary schools last year, Taipei has drawn on the expertise of Micro-Star International Co. (MSI), a local IT company that designs and provides computer software and services, to develop the mask-vending machines. [FULL STORY]
