‘888 PROGRAM’:
The initiative aims to provide people with high blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels with a preventive care system and lifestyle counseling
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By Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a plan to boost healthcare for 5.35 million Taiwanese with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Heart strokes, brain strokes, diabetes and other forms of chronic or acute kidney failure account for 62,000 deaths in Taiwan per year, or 30 percent of the total, the Ministry of Health and Welfare told a news conference.
Medical costs for treating these chronic illnesses cost the National Health Insurance NT$170 billion (US$5.23 billion) on average a year, a fiscal burden that would only increase with the graying of the population, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
Citing demographic data, the ministry said that, as of last month, 4.45 million Taiwanese were older than 65 years old, making up 19.4 percent of the total population.
Under President William Lai’s (賴清德) directive, the Cabinet authorized an initiative to improve preventive health programs to screen people for high blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels, or the “three highs.”
Dubbed the “888 Program,” the eight-year initiative aims to place 80 percent of Taiwanese with these health conditions into a preventive care system and provide them with lifestyle counseling, helping to make at least 80 percent of the subjects healthier, it said.
People with cardiovascular problems, diabetes and related conditions would be directed to receive specialized care at larger hospitals that would provide treatment and a comprehensive evaluation of their lifestyle, it said.
Large hospitals would create digital platforms to help doctors track their progress through the sharing of medical records, it said.
The public is urged to eat healthy, exercise more, avoid alcohol and nicotine use, and not delay health checkups to ensure conditions are diagnosed early, the ministry said.
People are encouraged to use free checkups funded by the government through their place of employment in the public or private sector, as well as preventive health screening services, the ministry said.
People who take part in the screenings are encouraged to upload the results to the My Health Bank portal, myhealthbank.nhi.gov.tw, the ministry said.
The portal provides resources to link members of the public with the medical services they need, it added.
Taiwanese aged 30 to 39 are entitled to a subsidized blood check once every three years, a policy that began in January and which is expected to benefit 3.2 million people.
Taiwanese found to have elevated blood pressure, lipids or sugar levels, but have not yet been diagnosed as having hypertension, hyperlipidemia or diabetes should consult government-supported clinics specializing in metabolic syndromes, it said.
An estimated 5,000 doctors and 3,000 clinics have joined the government initiative to improve the health of people who are at risk of developing these conditions, the ministry said.
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