Prioritizing health matters needs reevaluation
In the heart of East Asia, Taiwan's healthcare system is undergoing intense scrutiny. Critics argue that the current framework is causing more harm than good, delaying diagnoses, prolonging suffering, and even risking preventable deaths.
At the core of the issue is the sealing off of access to advanced tools. True reform means opening pathways so that patients and clinicians can access the best tools available, even if that means loosening monopolies and questioning outdated laws.
A striking example of this issue is the regulation of cotton swabs. In Taiwan, citizens can be fined hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan dollars for importing cotton swabs from overseas websites. The fine for this offence is harsher than the penalty for a first-time drunk driving offense in Taiwan. Protecting the market for cotton swabs should not take precedence over protecting patients' lives.
The current framework undermines trust in the healthcare system, as patients with urgent medical needs are unable to access the latest devices, which are already made in Taiwan. For instance, in 2022, the Taiwanese company Bionime developed a multi-day ECG patch. However, barriers that hinder patients from obtaining it include lack of awareness, high cost, and limited accessibility in some healthcare settings.
In other countries, a simple patch worn for a week could provide answers in days. Multi-day or two-week continuous ECG patches have been the norm in the US, Europe, and some parts of China for years. Yet, in Taiwan, standard Holter monitors only record heart rhythms for 24 hours.
Intermittent arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation and dangerous pauses, might not appear within a 24-hour window. This means that patients may wait months for symptoms to be detected with outdated 24-hour monitors, requiring repeated hospital visits.
The logic of these harsh penalties on imports, such as for glucose monitors or ECG patches, collapses under scrutiny because no one is harmed if a patient imports them for personal use. The system in Taiwan seems designed to protect entrenched distributors and preserve outdated market structures, rather than prioritizing patient health.
Chu Jou-juo, a professor in the Department of Labor Relations at National Chung Cheng University, echoes these sentiments. He argues that Taiwan has spent too long over-regulating trivial matters while neglecting essential healthcare needs.
However, there is a glimmer of hope. In 2022, a local company in Taiwan launched a multi-day ECG patch, winning a Taiwan Excellence Award. Yet, despite the award, patients who might benefit from the multi-day ECG patch often cannot get it due to tight reimbursement rules, regulatory inertia, or distribution barriers.
As Taiwan's healthcare system grapples with these challenges, it faces a crucial decision: to continue down a path that risks becoming a place where excellence is celebrated but withheld from patients, or to embrace reform and prioritise the health and wellbeing of its citizens.
