The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA), along with the Bureau of Transportation and the Bureau of Social Welfare of Tainan City, hosted an inauguration ceremony for the mobile dental healthcare service in Xinjia Village and the shuttle taxi in greater Xinying District. The ceremony took place at the Baishatun Fu-An Temple in Houbi District, Tainan City, on November 29. Shih-Chung Chen, the minister without portfolio of the Executive Yuan attended the ceremony to witness the dental equipment donation made by the Tainan Kaiji Yu-Huang Temple to Xinjia Village of Houbi District; Mayor Wei-Che Huang of Tainan City received the donation on behalf of the village. This initiative means older adults in the area can take shuttle taxis to Xinjia Community Center and access Western medicine, dental care, and long-term care services at the mobile healthcare station with ease. This development significantly enhances medical accessibility and healthcare quality for local residents.
The NHIA facilitated the donation of brand-new dental equipment by the Kaiji Yu-Huang Temple through a matchmaking mechanism to improve dental treatment and health for local residents. Thanks to this donation, the care center of Xinjia Village is now the first care center in Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Tainan City to be equipped with professional dental equipment. Dr. Ching-Hung Chung of Happy Dental Clinic has joined the team to provide professional dental exams and treatments, safeguarding the oral health of people in Xinjia Village.
The NHIA explained that to ensure high acceptance of the mobile healthcare service by older adults, the NHIA took intiated interdisciplinary collaborations with the Bureau of Transportation of Tainan City since 2021. These efforts led to the establishment of shuttle taxi stops at mobile healthcare locations along both the mountain and coast mobile healthcare service lines. As a result, 99% of all healthcare locations are now accessible by public transportation. The new shuttle taxi route, which stops by Xinjia Community Center, is the last mile that connects all community healthcare centers to older adults living in remote areas. The shuttle taxi routes enable the implementation of a "service all in one" package, which includes healthcare, long-term care, and transportation. The package has received exceptional positive feedback from local residents.