Taiwan Earns International Applause for Hepatitis C Elimination; Minister Shih Hopes for Swift WHO Certification
At an international Hepatitis C forum held on the sidelines of the WHA, Taiwan's Minister of Health and Welfare, Shih Chung-liang, proudly stated that international experts applauded Taiwan for eliminating Hepatitis C ahead of schedule. The Ministry of Health and Welfare applied for WHO certification early this year and hopes for a prompt response.
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(CNA, Taipei, May 19, by reporters Chen Chieh-ling and Shen Pei-yao) Taiwan hosted an international forum on Hepatitis C on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, where Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang said he was immensely proud that attending international experts applauded Taiwan's early elimination of Hepatitis C. The Ministry applied for certification from the WHO early this year and hopes to receive a response soon.
The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the vision of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. Late last year, Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that Taiwan would achieve the elimination of Hepatitis C by 2025, five years ahead of schedule, with diagnosis and treatment rates both exceeding 90%. An application for certification was submitted to the Western Pacific Regional Office, pending review by international experts. If successful, Taiwan will be five years ahead of the goal, joining the ranks of leaders like Iceland, Australia, and Egypt.
As the World Health Assembly (WHA) commenced, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a peripheral international forum on Hepatitis C on May 19, Swiss time, to deepen international understanding of Taiwan's achievements. Shih Chung-liang, leading the WHA action team in Geneva, told Taiwanese media via video link tonight that the forum was attended by experts from the US, UK, South Korea, and other countries.
Shih said many of these experts are key think tank members for the WHO, and even included a former president of the World Hepatitis Alliance. They were highly impressed that Taiwan could advance its Hepatitis C elimination program so rapidly, achieving the goal five years ahead of the global target, and they spontaneously invited attendees to applaud for Taiwan. "I truly feel very proud," Shih said.
Shih mentioned that he stated at the forum his hope to share Taiwan's successful experience with the world. The key to Taiwan's success lies in cross-departmental cooperation, sustained funding, and the implementation of two screening mechanisms: universal screening and screening for high-risk groups.
Furthermore, Taiwan simplified the process from testing and diagnosis to medication, and established a comprehensive database to register and integrate all relevant data, forming a large-scale database that serves as a crucial basis for policy implementation and rolling adjustments. Shih noted that the attending experts found these practices quite incredible.
In response to media inquiries about the lack of a reply to the certification application submitted to the WHO early this year and whether it might be due to interference from China, Shih stated that they have not yet received final comments on the report. The other party has only acknowledged receipt of the materials and stated that it is being processed according to procedure.
"We hope to get the review results as soon as possible, so that Taiwan's achievements have the opportunity to be shared with more countries," Shih said, mentioning that with Taiwan's current results and data, it is actually already qualified to obtain 3
The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the vision of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. Late last year, Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that Taiwan would achieve the elimination of Hepatitis C by 2025, five years ahead of schedule, with diagnosis and treatment rates both exceeding 90%. An application for certification was submitted to the Western Pacific Regional Office, pending review by international experts. If successful, Taiwan will be five years ahead of the goal, joining the ranks of leaders like Iceland, Australia, and Egypt.
As the World Health Assembly (WHA) commenced, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a peripheral international forum on Hepatitis C on May 19, Swiss time, to deepen international understanding of Taiwan's achievements. Shih Chung-liang, leading the WHA action team in Geneva, told Taiwanese media via video link tonight that the forum was attended by experts from the US, UK, South Korea, and other countries.
Shih said many of these experts are key think tank members for the WHO, and even included a former president of the World Hepatitis Alliance. They were highly impressed that Taiwan could advance its Hepatitis C elimination program so rapidly, achieving the goal five years ahead of the global target, and they spontaneously invited attendees to applaud for Taiwan. "I truly feel very proud," Shih said.
Shih mentioned that he stated at the forum his hope to share Taiwan's successful experience with the world. The key to Taiwan's success lies in cross-departmental cooperation, sustained funding, and the implementation of two screening mechanisms: universal screening and screening for high-risk groups.
Furthermore, Taiwan simplified the process from testing and diagnosis to medication, and established a comprehensive database to register and integrate all relevant data, forming a large-scale database that serves as a crucial basis for policy implementation and rolling adjustments. Shih noted that the attending experts found these practices quite incredible.
In response to media inquiries about the lack of a reply to the certification application submitted to the WHO early this year and whether it might be due to interference from China, Shih stated that they have not yet received final comments on the report. The other party has only acknowledged receipt of the materials and stated that it is being processed according to procedure.
"We hope to get the review results as soon as possible, so that Taiwan's achievements have the opportunity to be shared with more countries," Shih said, mentioning that with Taiwan's current results and data, it is actually already qualified to obtain 3