Rotary Club Donates NT$5 Million in Medical Equipment to Boost Local Healthcare

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 5) The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is promoting the "National Health Insurance Mountainous and Offshore Islands Medical Benefit Enhancement Plan (IDS)", encouraging the delivery of resources to mountainous and offshore island areas. A Rotary Club today donated medical equipment worth approximately NT$5 million, aiming to improve local healthcare capacity. To improve rural medical care, the MOHW has been implementing the IDS plan since 1999. In 2026, the budget will reach NT$1.6 billion, serving approximately 600,000 patients annually. This time, the Rotary Club donated medical equipment totaling less than NT$5 million to five medical institutions in Hsinchu County, Tainan City, and Taitung County. The equipment includes AR medical smart glasses, a telemedicine platform, portable and handheld ultrasound devices, digital otoscopes, digital oral cameras, and electronic flexible nasopharyngoscopes, aiming to help enhance remote diagnosis and local care capabilities in rural areas. Health Minister Shih Chung-liang stated at the donation ceremony that the MOHW has been actively promoting telemedicine in recent years. Since announcing the "Telecommunication Consultation and Treatment Measures" in 2018, the ministry has continued to promote it through various plans, subsidizing broadband networks and medical information equipment for health centers and mobile medical stations, and further including remote consultations in National Health Insurance coverage, successfully normalizing telemedicine care. Shih said that rural residents no longer have to endure long journeys to receive specialist diagnosis. He believes that through public-private collaboration to deepen rural medical resources, a more comprehensive health care network can be built for residents. National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Director General Chen Liang-yu stated that the progression from the IDS plan to the holistic integrated care program demonstrates the government's emphasis on rural healthcare. Improving rural medical services requires joint investment from the government, medical institutions, and private resources. This donation of telemedicine equipment not only strengthens the care capabilities of rural medical teams but also allows local residents to receive more timely, complete, and high-quality medical care. (Editor: Kuan Chung-wei) 1150605