Taiwan’s healthcare report 2010

Times are changing. Taiwan is one of the richest countries in the Asia Pacific region. It enacted its single-payer national health insurance program in 1995: in all estimates, it has been very successful. It has a strong healthcare system and the universal health insurance ensures that all citizens have grown to expect a high level of care. Healthcare systems are designed to meet the healthcare needs of target populations. There are a wide variety of healthcare systems around the world. In some countries, healthcare system planning is distributed among market participants, whereas in others planning is made more centrally among governments, trade unions, charities, religions, or other co-ordinated bodies to deliver planned healthcare services targeted to the populations they serve. However, healthcare planning has often been evolutionary rather than revolutionary. In healthcare all work carried out must be at the highest quality, and a much higher proportion of resources must be invested in quality in healthcare. The aim of this report is to give an overview of the healthcare service provision in Taiwan.