ECCT Joint Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Enhancement Committee Event

Sustainability of Taiwan’s national health insurance system: challenges and opportunities

Guest speaker
Dr Donald TF Shang, Director-General, Department of Social Insurance, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) 衛生福利部社會保險司司長商東福
Date: 12:00 – 14:00, Thursday, 10 December 2020
Venue: 2F Han Room, The Sherwood Taipei

Taiwan’s national health insurance (NHI) system is recognised both in Taiwan and abroad for its comprehensive coverage, good patient outcomes, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In particular, Taiwan’s healthcare response to the coronavirus pandemic has received high praise globally. However, an ageing society, a rise in non-communicable diseases and increases in healthcare costs have not been matched by proportionate increases in government spending or National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) premiums in recent years. This has led to concerns about a potential decline in the quality of healthcare and the long-term sustainability of the system and questions as to whether Taiwan’s social security safety net is sufficient. At this event our guest speaker will offer the perspectives, future policy direction and plans of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Social Insurance on how to maintain and improve the quality of healthcare while maintaining the long-term sustainability of the NHI.

Among other subjects in his presentation, Dr Shang will cover the following:

• The role and responsibility of the Department of Social Insurance
• How to ensure the long-term sustainability of the NHI in terms of social security, finance, and non-financial aspects
• The role of the public and private sectors in ensuring NHI sustainability 
• The government’s views and future direction on co-payments, particularly for catastrophic Illnesses.

This event is open to all ECCT members and should be of special interest to members in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Enhancement committees.

About the speaker

Dr Donald TF Shang is the Director-General of the Department of Social Insurance in the Ministry of Health and Welfare. He is concurrently an Adjunct Attending Physician of Thoracic Surgery at National Taiwan University Hospital - Hsinchu Branch. Among his previous posts, he was Vice Chair of the Health Working Group, at APEC (from 2011-2012); Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery at DOH Hsinchu Hospital; Director of the MOHW’s Office of International Cooperation and the China Affairs Office; and Executive Director of Taiwan International Health Action (Taiwan IHA). He holds an MD from National Yang-Ming University and a PhD from National Taiwan University College of Public Health.

NT$1,400 for members; NT$2,000 for Members’ guests

To cancel without penalty, written cancellations must be received 24 hours prior to the event.

Contact: Page Tsai / Tel 2740-0236 ext. 228 / page.tsai@ecct.com.tw / www.ecct.com.tw