Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (Photos courtesy of Minister of Health and Welfare)

Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) discusses Taiwan’s medical achievements and why the country deserves greater participation in global health.

Taiwan is committed to helping the international community attain the highest possible standard of health. What is the government doing to advance this goal?

Hsueh Jui-yuan: The Ministry of Health and Welfare [MOHW] is key to Taiwan’s ambitious role as a force for good through its implementation of projects with global impact. One such endeavor is Taiwan International Health Action [TaiwanIHA], which is jointly run with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The initiative provides training and aid where it’s needed most, with the Taiwan International Healthcare Training Center providing professional development in areas like clinical medicine and health care management for foreign medical personnel since 2002. More than 2,000 health workers from 77 countries have taken advantage of the opportunity to date.

TaiwanIHA particularly targets the Pacific, where it provides health services in six nations. The Taiwan Health Center operated by the MOHW’s Shuang Ho Hospital in the Marshall Islands, for example, has given locals regular diabetes screenings since 2015 to help combat one of the country’s biggest health threats. The hospital additionally offers internships to Marshallese medical graduates who complete their studies in Taiwan.

Taiwan is also sharing its know-how in South and Southeast Asia through the MOHW’s “One Country, One Center” project launched in 2018. Under the initiative, 10 Taiwan medical centers train personnel from seven partner countries while enhancing cooperation with counterparts in those regions.

Only when all stakeholders can directly engage in the organization’s meetings, mechanisms and activities can the WHO’s goal of Health For All truly be realized.

Taiwan’s nongovernmental organizations [NGOs] play a major role in facilitating health care exchanges with other countries. Can you elaborate on this?

Hsueh: The ministry supports global health by funding NGO projects and overseas visits, including the 2019 Taiwan Medical Women’s Association [TMWA] trip to New York City to attend the triennial International Congress of the Medical Women’s International Association. At the meeting marking the organization’s 100th anniversary, TMWA successfully won the bid for Taiwan to host the event in 2022, setting in motion a decisive opportunity for the country to expand medical exchanges. The ministry also backs Taiwan Global Healthcare Association’s Global Medical Model Award with the goal of inspiring others to follow in recipients’ footsteps.

Taiwan has a robust medical research sector. How does this benefit the country’s partners?

Hsueh: One recent success is a new vaccine protecting against enterovirus 71, a deadly infectious disease that is a persistent health issue in Taiwan and the rest of Asia. The homegrown vaccine is the result of more than 10 years of work by National Health Research Institutes and locally based Enimmune Corp. It’s expected to save countless lives when it enters domestic and overseas markets.

Another opportunity to share our research arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the MOHW’s National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine [NRICM] developed an herbal medicine that effectively prevents further progression of symptoms in mild or moderate cases. The therapeutic, called NRICM101, is now available in over 60 countries worldwide. A variation for severe cases called NRICM102 has shown significant results in reducing patient mortality rates. The ministry has already granted approval to one pharmaceutical company to export the product.

Access to the World Health Organization [WHO] would greatly enhance Taiwan’s contributions to global well-being. How strong is international support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO?

Hsueh: Being locked out of the WHO blocks us from participating in discussions on WHO reform and joining the global response to future pandemics. This runs counter to the organization’s goal of building a more resilient world. Taiwan’s work to battle disease and promote health worldwide— including the provision of essential medical equipment and supplies to other countries at the height of the pandemic—clearly demonstrates its worthiness to the WHO and thus the necessity of its inclusion.

Last year our WHO bid was endorsed by over 3,800 lawmakers, politicians and influential individuals from 88 countries. During the 2022 World Health Assembly plenary session, Czechia, France, Germany, Lithuania and Luxembourg explicitly mentioned their support for Taiwan for the first time. This meant a great deal to us, especially given countries’ limited amount of time for spoken statements.

I’m deeply grateful to Taiwan’s allies and like-minded partners for their staunch backing. Taiwan continues to strengthen substantive ties with friendly nations while cultivating support for its participation in the global health body. Only when all stakeholders can directly engage in the organization’s meetings, mechanisms and activities can the WHO’s goal of Health For All truly be realized.

–interview by Oscar Chung