‘WORKLOAD’: The nation’s medical system is efficient, but operating at peak performance at all times creates problems when extra challenges arise, the minister said

Taipei Times
Date: May 18, 2020
By: Jennifer Huang, Wu Liang-yi and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the nation’s medical system must be bolstered to shoulder disease prevention duties ranging from border controls to aiding local communities, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.

Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center, made the remarks in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday.

Disease prevention efforts should not have to erode the provision of medical resources to the public, Chen said.

A majority of Taiwan’s medical industry is in private hands and benign competition keeps the industry at peak efficiency, he said.    [FULL  STORY]