“Our system encompasses medical facility and patient record reporting, health smart card issuing and the establishment and management of medical kiosks and telehealth services for remote areas,” Chiu said.
The minister’s remarks came during a luncheon address at the General Assembly of the World Medical Association May 17 in Geneva.
According to Chiu, the smart card represents a milestone in the e-health program. “From 2004, the cards carried patient medical information such as prescriptions and medication that causes allergic reactions,” he said.
The minister added that patient privacy was guaranteed through the use of dedicated readers activated by special issue staff cards.
An equally successful innovation is the introduction of medical kiosks, Chiu said. “Almost every hospital in Taiwan now offers patients a range of self-service options, including registration, payments and in some cases, access to health records.”
The popularity of this service has seen Taiwan prioritize the creation of electronic medical records, Chiu said, adding that to achieve this goal, the national medical image exchange center will become a dedicated medical record exchange unit by the end of this year.
Chiu invited WMA members to visit Taiwan and experience these e-health services firsthand, also urging them to support the country’s meaningful participation in World Health Organization activities.
In separate news, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius reiterated Washington’s position that no U.N. organization has the right to unilaterally determine Taiwan’s status.
Sebelius’s remarks follow Taiwan’s protest over the WHO referring to the country as a province of mainland China in an internal memo.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Elaine Hou
Quelle/Source: Taiwan Today, 18.05.2011
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