Taiwan Today
Date: July 22, 2016
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has proposed three major additions to the nation’s planned
In this undated file photo, a rural community-based medic assists an elderly patient and dispenses hypertension medication in Qalang Smangus, an indigenous township in the mountains of Hsinchu County. Thanks to new additions to the government’s Long-term Care Plan 2.0, even more elderly and disabled patients will have access to quality long-term care services. (Staff photo/Huang Shung Hsin)
long-term health care system as part of an effort to increase the amount and quality of care available to Taiwan’s elderly and disabled population.
Deputy Health Minister Lu Pau-ching, speaking at a press conference in Taipei July 18, said the additions will take effect in 2017 and are in line with President Tsai Ing-wen’s Long-term Care Plan 2.0 initiative, one of the administration’s major policies.
According to Lu, the three new measures are the establishment of thousands of localized long-term care stations around the country, an increase to the number of services offered under the program from the current eight to 17, and the addition of four new categories of people who can benefit from the system.
The deputy minister said that, starting next year, the government will begin establishing neighborhood long-term care stations around Taiwan, with the eventual goal of setting up 2,529 such facilities within four years. Their objective will be to ensure the well-being of elderly and disabled residents through services such as providing meals, placing calls and paying visits to residents’ homes, and assisting in physical activities. [FULL STORY]
