The latest report from the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2024 emphasizes the transformation of healthcare systems towards "Integrated People-Centered Health Services, IPCHS" to advance public health. Reflecting this goal, the 888 Plan, an initiative under President Ching-Te Lai's Healthy Taiwan policy, prioritizes health promotion and primary healthcare for chronic diseases, aligning with WHA's recommendations. To operationalize President Lai’s agenda, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) of Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced a collaboration with Google in June. Leveraging Google Cloud's AI tools and Google Health's clinical expertise, the collaborative program aims to enhance chronic disease management, starting with diabetes. AI technology will establish risk-ranking systems and predictive models, integrated with the NHIA's "Family Physician Program 2.0", promoting a people-centered, holistic healthcare through an innovation model.
Deputy Minister Ching-Yi Lin of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) attended the Google Cloud Summit on June 13, emphasizing the increasing burden of chronic diseases among Taiwanese people. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD), diabetes alone represents 6.17% of Taiwan's disease burden, making it the most costly chronic disease. In response, the government aims to strengthen healthcare capabilities through AI-powered services. The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) reports that half of Taiwan's population suffers from chronic diseases, with over 7 million patients managing two or more conditions concurrently. This data underscores chronic diseases as Taiwan's most pressing health challenge and a critical issue for the healthcare system to address. The NHIA plans to leverage its expertise in health data management, collaborate with the National Health Research Institutes for research, and harness Google's AI technology to develop an AI-driven risk assessment model for diabetes. This model will eventually expand to manage other chronic diseases. Moreover, the AI model will be integrated into clinical practice with the NHIA's "Family Physician Program 2.0" platform, consolidating patient health data for precise disease prediction and management. These "Integrated People-Centered Health Services" are poised to improve primary healthcare effectiveness. Furthermore, the service model aims not only to assist the healthcare system and support frontline medical personnel in enhancing case management efficiency and ensuring timely and accurate patient care but also to provide health information feedback to people via health management tools. This approach enhances their self-health awareness and empowers them healthcare capabilities, aligning with the vision of a Healthy Taiwan.
The NHIA highlighted Taiwan's robust information technology infrastructure and highly skilled IT professionals. By adopting Google's advanced AI technology, they aim to expedite the implementation of the president's policy agenda and pave the way for future collaborations between the IT and healthcare sectors. This partnership between these formidable sectors is anticipated to usher in a new era of AI-powered healthcare for Taiwan.