Taiwan's MOHW Aims for Nationwide Medical Center Record Interoperability with 'FHIR Box' by Year-End
At a National Science and Technology Council meeting, Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced its push for inter-hospital medical record exchange through its self-developed "FHIR Box" smart medical platform. Utilizing the international FHIR standard, the platform aims to resolve the incompatibility issue among over 40 medical record systems in Taiwan. The plan is to achieve interoperability across all medical centers by the end of this year, expanding to regional and district hospitals next year, to improve patient convenience and drive the medical technology industry's growth and international competitiveness.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 20:36
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The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) today explained the progress of its smart medical platform construction at a meeting of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), utilizing the FHIR Box operating system platform to promote inter-hospital medical record exchange. The goal is to achieve interoperability among all medical centers in Taiwan by the end of this year, with expansion to regional and district hospitals next year. NSTC Minister Wu Cheng-wen stated that FHIR Box will make medical consultations more convenient for the public and expressed optimism about its international market potential.
The National Science and Technology Council held its 21st committee meeting today, where the MOHW presented a report titled "The Next-Generation Digital Medical Platform—FHIR Box Opens a New Era for Taiwan's Smart Medical Ecosystem."
Yu Tzu-chia, a section chief at the MOHW's Department of Information Technology, explained in a briefing that there are over 40 different medical record systems in use across Taiwan's medical institutions, with inconsistent data formats and codes. To address this, the MOHW independently developed technology based on the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard, a national data standard, and an innovative platform that can convert data from different hospitals into a common standard for further connection and interoperability.
MOHW Deputy Minister Chuang Jen-hsiang described FHIR Box as the "Windows of the medical world," an interoperable medical operating system that allows hardware and software vendors to develop within its framework. He pointed out that because hospitals' electronic medical records are not interoperable, patients visiting different hospitals often have to carry their medical records on burnt CDs or as paper printouts. FHIR Box can connect data from various hospitals to solve this problem.
Chuang explained that the initiative will be promoted through subsidies and other means. A demonstration of FHIR Box was launched at the end of last year in three major medical systems—Chang Gung, MacKay, and Chung Shan. The plan is to achieve interoperability among all of Taiwan's medical centers by the end of this year and complete the rollout to regional and district hospitals by the end of next year.
Wu Cheng-wen stated that FHIR Box can make medical consultations more convenient for the public and also support telemedicine and home healthcare. Additionally, once data standards are unified, vendors will no longer be limited to undertaking one-off projects, and their product development capacity is expected to increase significantly, thereby driving industrial growth. He is also optimistic that FHIR Box has potential not only for domestic use but also in the international market.
In addition to the achievements in health data governance, the Sports Administration presented a "Strategic Plan to Promote the Sports Industry and National Sports with Technology." The Sports Administration pointed out that, guided by the dual principles of "expanding domestic demand" and "doubling production value," it will use technology to lower the barrier to public participation and expand the foundation of national sports. On the other hand, it will use data empowerment to guide precise private capital investment, with the goal of transforming Taiwan's sports industry into a high-value-added digital economy.
The Ministry of Culture also reported at the meeting on "Cross-Disciplinary Innovation and Development through the Fusion of Culture and Technology." By introducing AI, immersive technologies, and digital applications, it aims to enhance the services of cultural venues, content production, and public service systems, continuously improving cultural accessibility, content creation capacity, and the overall quality of exhibitions and performances. The Ministry of Culture stated that it will continue to promote cultural technology policies and systematically integrate resources to enhance the production capacity and international competitiveness of Taiwan's original content.
The National Science and Technology Council held its 21st committee meeting today, where the MOHW presented a report titled "The Next-Generation Digital Medical Platform—FHIR Box Opens a New Era for Taiwan's Smart Medical Ecosystem."
Yu Tzu-chia, a section chief at the MOHW's Department of Information Technology, explained in a briefing that there are over 40 different medical record systems in use across Taiwan's medical institutions, with inconsistent data formats and codes. To address this, the MOHW independently developed technology based on the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard, a national data standard, and an innovative platform that can convert data from different hospitals into a common standard for further connection and interoperability.
MOHW Deputy Minister Chuang Jen-hsiang described FHIR Box as the "Windows of the medical world," an interoperable medical operating system that allows hardware and software vendors to develop within its framework. He pointed out that because hospitals' electronic medical records are not interoperable, patients visiting different hospitals often have to carry their medical records on burnt CDs or as paper printouts. FHIR Box can connect data from various hospitals to solve this problem.
Chuang explained that the initiative will be promoted through subsidies and other means. A demonstration of FHIR Box was launched at the end of last year in three major medical systems—Chang Gung, MacKay, and Chung Shan. The plan is to achieve interoperability among all of Taiwan's medical centers by the end of this year and complete the rollout to regional and district hospitals by the end of next year.
Wu Cheng-wen stated that FHIR Box can make medical consultations more convenient for the public and also support telemedicine and home healthcare. Additionally, once data standards are unified, vendors will no longer be limited to undertaking one-off projects, and their product development capacity is expected to increase significantly, thereby driving industrial growth. He is also optimistic that FHIR Box has potential not only for domestic use but also in the international market.
In addition to the achievements in health data governance, the Sports Administration presented a "Strategic Plan to Promote the Sports Industry and National Sports with Technology." The Sports Administration pointed out that, guided by the dual principles of "expanding domestic demand" and "doubling production value," it will use technology to lower the barrier to public participation and expand the foundation of national sports. On the other hand, it will use data empowerment to guide precise private capital investment, with the goal of transforming Taiwan's sports industry into a high-value-added digital economy.
The Ministry of Culture also reported at the meeting on "Cross-Disciplinary Innovation and Development through the Fusion of Culture and Technology." By introducing AI, immersive technologies, and digital applications, it aims to enhance the services of cultural venues, content production, and public service systems, continuously improving cultural accessibility, content creation capacity, and the overall quality of exhibitions and performances. The Ministry of Culture stated that it will continue to promote cultural technology policies and systematically integrate resources to enhance the production capacity and international competitiveness of Taiwan's original content.