During the 17th and 18th of this month of April, the 6th World Health Organization (WHO) Patient Safety Global Ministerial Summit in the city of Santiago, an occasion in which Chili was the host, thus becoming the first Latin American country to receive the outstanding event. Taiwan, being a promoter of health for all, expresses its satisfaction with this achievement of Chile, and also for its manifestation regarding the commitment and effort dedicated to continuing to improve patient safety and the quality of comprehensive service in the field of health. .
Over the past decades, Taiwan has created a benchmark public health system for many countries in the world. Today, Taiwan has one of the best health insurance systems with universal coverage, and its high application of biotechnology and world-class medical treatments have received international recognition. Taiwan is committed to playing an active role in global health initiatives and is willing and eager to share its experiences and knowledge with the world and learn from good practices of other countries in order to achieve better health safety and quality. for all.
However, since 2017, Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the World Health Assembly (WHA) was excluded due to political intervention. Such irrational impediment is not only against WHO’s own “Leave No One Behind” spirit of inclusive health, but has also created a breach of the safety net, and would consequently harm the development of global public health security. .
The Covid-19 pandemic and health crises arising from geopolitical conflicts have highlighted the crucial importance of international cooperation. All public health stakeholders, including Taiwan, must come together to effectively respond to global public health threats. Both in the good management of the fight against the pandemic, the valuable experiences in the field of health, as well as the humanitarian aid delivered in response to health emergencies in Ukraine, and to the families affected by the recent forest fires in Chile, Taiwan has demonstrated to the world that it is a reliable partner, and has invaluable capacity to help build a more comprehensive global health framework.
Therefore, I call on the WHO to be open and flexible, adhere to the principles of professionalism and neutrality, and include Taiwan in the WHA as an observer.
We also urge the international community to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in WHO meetings, activities and mechanisms in order to ensure a better health system for all people in the world.
Silvia Yu-Chi Liu. General Director of the Economic and Cultural Office of Taipei, Taiwan in Chile
