To improve the quality of cancer treatments and the quality of life for patients with cancer, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) has added colonic stents to the NHI payment package for patients with colon cancer present with severe bowel obstruction where surgical interventions are impossible. In December 2023, duodenal stents shall be added to the NHI package for patients with stomach and duodenum obstructions caused by malignant tumors. It is estimated to benefit around 242 patients each year with approximately 10,790,000 points invested from the NHI budget.
The NHIA stated that clinical treatments of cancer refer to not only surgical interventions, medications, and adjuvant therapy, but also include several materials that can be used to ease the discomfort for patients. For example, patients with duodenum and gastric outlet stenosis caused by middle- to late-stage malignant tumors are unable to eat through the mouth and often experience nausea and vomiting, resulting in malnutrition and a low quality of life. The placement of duodenal stents effectively allows patients to eat through the mouth to obtain nutrients and improve the quality of life.
In the Pharmaceutical Benefit and Reimbursement Scheme Joint Committee Meeting convened in September 2023, relevant discussions were conducted (in the Special Material session) to determine the inclusion of duodenal stent systems in the NHI payment package. The NHIA would like to express their gratitude to The Gastroenterological Society of Taiwan and The Digestive Endoscopy Society of Taiwan for their professional opinions and assistance. Their efforts in improving medical safety and healthcare quality for patients have contributed to alternative options, apart from surgical interventions like gastrointestinal bypass surgery or colostomy. In addition, the NHIA would like to thank all the medical suppliers for their cooperation in accomplishing healthcare quality improvement in Taiwan.
Director General Chung-Liang Shih of the NHIA stated that advanced cancer treatments are numerous, yet expensive. The NHIA endeavors to ensure the coverage of basic medical needs of the people within the financial ability of the NHI. It continues to introduce new medical technologies that are empirically proved and clinically necessary to the NHI package to reduce the financial burden for the insured and enhance healthcare value and people's health.