Taiwan Medical Association holds int’l symposium on transforming healthcare

Taiwan Medical Association holds int’l symposium on transforming healthcare

2025-12-05

The Taiwan Medical Association and the World Medical Association held the International Symposium on Transforming Healthcare on Dec. 4. In attendance were Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, WMA President Jacqueline Kitulu, Council Chair Jack Resneck, Jr., and Secretary General Otmar Kloiber. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the details.

President Lai Ching-te presented medal of honor to the Secretary-General of the World Medical Association’s Otmar Kloiber. In 2021, the World Medical Association formally passed a resolution supporting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly and the World Health Organization. In his opening remarks, President Lai emphasized that building a Healthy Taiwan stands as one of the country’s key policy priorities.

Lai Ching-te
Taiwan President
Our policies aim to keep Taiwanese healthcare current and our people healthy. First, we initiated a healthcare policy transformation, using digital technology and AI to build a smart health system for all ages and settings, offering early warnings and timely intervention. This will help Taiwan shift from a healthcare model focused on disease treatment, to one focused on prevention and health promotion. The era of AI is here, so we are also leading 10 new AI infrastructure initiatives. With enhanced AI, cybersecurity, and data governance, we are establishing a national cybersecurity system for healthcare.

Otmar Kloiber
WMA Secretary General
Taiwan has been a leader in developing universal health coverage over the past decade. Within this system, it has also been very strong to develop family practice primary care. This is something that is missing in many parts of this world. Yet primary care and the role of family physicians is crucial to have very effective healthcare systems to steer and navigate patients through the healthcare system. That is still something that most of the healthcare systems still have to develop and can learn from Taiwan.

This year’s international symposium focused on topics such as transforming health care, universal health coverage, AI, green healthcare, and collaborative healthcare systems. Over a hundred Taiwanese and international experts gave speeches and participated in discussions.

Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu
WMA President
With a population of more than 23 million people, Taiwan sits at a critical nexus in regional and global health surveillance. Excluding Taiwan from formal participation in WHO technical meetings and the World Health Assembly creates an avoidable blind spot at a time when the world must be strengthening, and not weakening cooperation.

Dr. Jack Resneck
Council Chair
When I think about transforming healthcare, getting back to basics, there are a lot of core building blocks of having a great healthcare system, as Dr. Kitulu is addressing. In some ways, it hasn’t changed even as technology changes. When we think about making sure how our patients in our communities have fantastic access to high-quality healthcare, we need systems in place in countries like Taiwan has, making sure that everybody has insurance or access to doctors and hospitals. We need a workforce and a workforce of other members of the healthcare that is adequately supported. Whether that is in terms of resources or all the things that they need to take great care of their patients.

Chen Hsiang-kuo
Taiwan Medical Association president
First, universal health coverage is not merely a policy. It is a symbol of a nation’s civility and health resilience. Regardless of income, age, place or residence, every individual should have access to affordable, high-quality health services. As the world faces an escalated climate crisis, healthcare systems carry the responsibility of reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability.

In addition, a meeting was convened to discuss the WMA Declaration of Taipei, which addresses ethical considerations surrounding health databases and biobanks.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Health #Internationalsymposium #Taiwan Medical Association #WorldMedicalAssociation

世界醫師會首次台北宣言修訂會議　賴清德感謝長期挺台

2025-12-05

世界醫師會（WMA）首次「台北宣言」修訂公開專家會議，4日在台北登場，邀集國際醫界、學界及科技領域的重要專家、學者上百人出席，總統賴清德也出席致詞，並頒獎給世界醫師會秘書長，世界醫師會長期支持台灣，每年在WHA開幕前夕，都會公開發表支持台灣的聲明。

賴清德總統致詞，歡迎並感謝世界醫師會長期支持台灣，還當場頒獎給曾發言力挺台灣參與WHO、WHA活動的秘書長Otmar Kloiber。世界醫師會長期支持台灣，每年在WHA開幕前夕，都會公開發表支持台灣的聲明。賴總統在開幕致詞中強調，建立健康台灣是國家的重要政策優先事項之一。

[[總統賴清德]]
"我們的政策旨在維持台灣醫療保健的先進性，並保障國民健康。首先，我們啟動了醫療保健政策轉型，運用數位技術和人工智慧建構覆蓋所有年齡層和各種環境的智慧醫療體系，提供早期預警和及時幹預。這將有助於台灣的醫療模式從以疾病治療為主轉向以預防和健康促進為主。人工智慧時代已經到來，我們也正在主導10項新的人工智慧基礎設施計畫。透過強化人工智慧、網路安全和資料治理，我們正在建立一個國家級的醫療保健網路安全體系。"

[[世界醫師會秘書長Otmar Kloiber]]
"過去十年，台灣在發展全民健康覆蓋方面一直處於領先地位。在這體系中，台灣也大力發展家庭基層醫療服務。這在世界許多地區尚未得到充分重視。然而，基層醫療和家庭醫生的角色對於建立高效的醫療保健系統至關重要，它們能夠引導和幫助患者順利完成整個醫療過程。這仍然是大多數醫療保健體系需要改進的地方，台灣在這方面可以藉鏡參考。"

本次國際研討會主題是：轉型中的醫療-全民均健、人工智慧、綠色醫療與協作醫療體系，邀請國內外專家演講及討論，預計超過百位國內外專家參加。

[[世界醫師會會長 Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu]]
"台灣擁有超過2300萬人口，在區域和全球衛生監測中處於至關重要的地位。在世界亟需加強而非削弱合作之際，將台灣排除在世衛組織技術會議和世界衛生大會的正式參與之外，會造成一個本可避免的盲點。"

[[世界醫師理事會主席Jack Resneck ]]
"當我思考如何改革醫療保健，回歸本源時，正如Dr.Jacqueline Kitulu所指出的，一個優秀的醫療保健系統有許多核心要素。在某些方面，即使科技日新月異，這些要素也從未改變。當我們思考如何確保社區患者能夠方便地獲得高品質的醫療保健服務時，我們需要像台灣一樣建立完善的體系，確保每個人都有醫療保險或能夠就醫。我們需要一支由醫護人員和其他醫療保健從業人員組成的隊伍，並為他們提供充足的支持，包括資源以及他們照顧患者所需的一切。"

[[台灣醫師公會全國聯合會理事長陳相國]]
"首先，全民健康覆蓋不僅是一項政策，它更是一個國家文明程度和健康韌性的象徵。無論收入、年齡或居住地如何，每個人都應享有負擔得起的高品質醫療服務。隨著全球氣候危機日益加劇，醫療衛生系統肩負著減少碳排放和促進永續發展的重任。"

另外，也是世界醫師會新版「台北宣言」修訂程序的第一場公開專家會議，更具有重要國際指標意義。

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The Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation has opened Taiwan’s first low-carbon sustainable sheltered workshop building. In addition to providing employment and training for more than 80 workers, the park has adopted low-carbon building strategies, making it a green building. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the story.

At the new park, sheltered employees are busy washing cars and preparing baked goods. This facility provides jobs for more than 80 workers. Located beneath Jianguo South Road Bridge, the park has a restaurant and a car wash center. The foundation has redesigned pathways that connect the two workshops into one unified space.

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Even though Taiwan has about 200,000 people with intellectual disabilities, around 30% require full-time care, while 70% can be trained and given work opportunities. For them, having a job brings great happiness—they are always punctual and eager to come to work every day. If cities and counties across the nation could provide more of these opportunities, they would not have to stay at home, which often creates a heavy burden for their families.

The park incorporates low-carbon building strategies, reducing emissions equal to the annual carbon absorption of 30 hectares of forest. It features Taiwan’s first 50-ton rainwater recycling pool, supplying water for irrigation and cleaning, cutting tap water use, and solving flooding problems under the bridge. The building was honored with the Net Zero Architecture Award, and is the country’s first official structure built beneath a bridge.

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Since its establishment in 1994, the Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation has been providing comprehensive care and employment support for people with intellectual disabilities.The foundation hopes this new park will not only serve as a new gathering spot for people, but also a place where people with disabilities are accepted and respected.

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Sweet traditions on Huaxi Street: 72 years of mochi

As winter returns and temperatures fall, people start to crave warm desserts. One shop in Taipei’s Huaxi Street Night Market is ideal for satisfying this craving. It’s been around for 72 years, specializing in mochi. Although the next generation has taken over management, the 88-year-old founder still takes care of customers every day. People who have eaten there since they were young now make sure to bring friends to enjoy their authentic Taiwanese desserts.

Using a ladle, a chef gently stirs a simmering pot of white mochi. When the mochi rises to the surface, they take them out and roll them in crushed peanuts, ready to be served.

Chen Chen-jung
Dessert shop owner
When we were really busy, we used to sell around 12 kilograms in a day, about 200 to 300 pieces.

This dessert shop only uses Taiwanese sticky rice to make its mochi. Located in Huaxi Street Night Market, it sells hundreds of mochi each night. It’s been around for 72 years, and many customers have enjoyed it since they were young.

Customer
I’ve been coming here for over 50 years. Their mochi is all made from local rice, and it has a great texture.

Customer
When I was in kindergarten, my parents would order take out and bring it home. When I grew up, I started bringing people here to enjoy mochi, because it really is delicious.

The shop also sells sweet porridge made with sticky rice and longan, as well as red bean soup and taro soup, which are simmered for hours the night before.

Customer
I really like its authentic taste and texture. I like their red bean and taro soups.

Customer
I haven’t had warm mochi in a while. I think it’s delicious.

People love sharing these desserts with their friends, and foreign tourists often come to try. This family-owned shop is already in its third generation, now run by Mr. Chen, his sister, and his mother.

Chen Chin Yueh-o
Shop founder
Our family was poor, so to make ends meet, we went out looking for business opportunities. This one has been going quite well.

Now 88 years old, this impressive woman has been working here since she was 23, preparing delicious desserts for countless customers. As winter approaches and the weather cools, people come here craving a sweet dessert to warm their bellies.

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Kuo Chao-chung
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Technologies must be industrialized. Combining technology with medical supplies is indeed an important trend. Taiwan has such a bustling ICT sector. Semiconductors are applied to all of the medical equipment we’re showcasing today. International buyers trust our products.

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We will communicate with our fish farmers and PX Mart, and compensate all parties fully. I would like to offer my sincere apologies to everyone.

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