Health Care And Public Sanitation
In order to give every citizen access to appropriate medical care
and health services, the Provincial Government is continuing to
implement Phase 2 of its program to strengthen balanced distribution
of medical resources and special medical services, build a comprehensive
grassroots public health organization, boost the functions of
public health bureaux and offices, improve medical and health
care facilities, organize group medical centers and boost medical
services in mountain areas and on offshore islands, strengthen
emergency services, promote public health education and awareness
of medical network hierarchy and referral so as to avoid "insurance
without treatment," shorten the gap between urban and rural
medical care, and raise overall medical care standards in preparation
for the implementation of universal health insurance and to promote
the good health of the nation.
Health Care Organizations and Facilities
In 1993, there were an average of 43.9 hospital beds and 42.9 medical
personnel for every 10,000 people. In terms of both quality and
quantity, health care has undergone considerable progress. Future
projects include medium-term reconstruction plans for provincial
hospitals, procuring modem sophisticated equipment, introducing
business accountability for provincial hospital directors to improve
hospital management skills, and building up cooperation and staff
interchange between provincial hospitals and teaching hospitals to
raise medical standards. Efforts are also being made to expand Chinese
medical services, boost emergency services and mental disease
prevention, reinforce special industrial disease clinics at Taipei,
Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Fengyuan and Tainan provincial hospitals,
assist county and city public health bureaux in setting up on-line
foreign laborer health control systems, and expanding medical
services to the public.
Expanding Grassroots Public Health Care
To establish a new grassroots public health care system and expand
rural and urban health care, the Provincial Government emphasizes
the enhancement of public health care service centers and the
establishment of grassroots service centers, the upgrading of
basic health care, the promotion of vocational disease prevention
and factory hygiene education, the expansion of mobile health
services and training of regional medical and nursing personnel
to solve regional personnel shortages and meet demand for medical
services in remote areas, mountainous districts and offshore islands,
the promotion of new family planning, and the provision of family
planning information and services. As of fiscal year 1994 a total
of 172 group medical centers and 587 grassroots health service
centers were in operation to solve the shortage of doctors and
improve medical services in outlying areas.
Prevention of Contagious Disease
As prevention is better than cure, the government continues to
promote preventive inoculation programs. Inoculations were made
optional in 1981.
Effective measures have been taken to prevent the spread of contagious
disease, to eliminate sources of infection, and to disseminate
hygiene education. Special care is being taken to strengthen child
health protection and to prevent Japanese encephalitis, typhoid,
paratyphoid, dysentery, measles and hepatitis B. Due to the success
'of inoculation and promotion of public sanitation plans, cases
of people contracting or dying from contagious diseases have decreased
in number.
Food Safety and Drug Control
In order to ensure food safety, 11,168 food factories have been
placed under government supervision, and eight categories of food
producers have been given assistance in examining and controlling
the quality of their products. Food and sanitation control has
been strictly enforced. Foods and advertisements for foods are
under close inspection. The technology to check the sanitation
of slaughtering of animals for food has been improved. Other measures
to promote public health and food safety are to carry out sample
checks and inspections of sanitation facilities at food factories
and restaurants, to boost hygiene inspections of dairy and meat
products and food labeling checks, to implement the CAS food labeling
scheme to help consumers identify product quality, and to promote
food hygiene awareness among the public at large. To meet the
needs for drug safety, the Provincial Government has assisted
drug producers in implementing the G.M.P. (Good Medicine Produce)
program to upgrade the quality of domestically produced medicines.
Up to the end of Dec. 1993, 267 producers had passed the G.M.P.
evaluation. Advertisement and pricing of medicines are also under
close control in order to protect the public's rights.
Prevention of Disease and Dissemination of Eugenics
Due to economic growth and the successful promotion of
public health sanitation, the aver-age life expectancy for people
in Taiwan has been increased from 52.9 years for males and 56.3 for
females in 1950 to 72.02 for males and 77.42 for females in 1993,
with sharp and continuous increase of the elderly population.
Therefore, disease prevention for the elderly has become an
important task of public health care. The Provincial Government
has drafted plans concerning prevention of disease for the elderly,
under which local public health offices will deploy midwives, chronic
nursing assistants and family planning nursing assistants to visit
homes and meeting places to provide the middle aged and elderly with
community screening services for high blood pressure and diabetes.
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Eugenics is the key to the production of healthy offspring. At
present premarital blood tests and newborn baby health check-ups
are offered to the public in order to improve the genetic stock.
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