The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) announced three major policies on November 2. First, the official implementation of Urgent Care Centers (UCCs) operating on Sundays and national holidays starting immediately. Second, the inclusion of portable infusion devices in the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) Incentive Program starting this November. Third, the introduction of incentive payments for medical institutions providing continuous services during the 2026 Lunar New Year holidays, ensuring uninterrupted access to healthcare for the people during public holidays.
The NHIA held a press conference at Xinyi Outpatient Department of Taipei City Hospital for the official implementation of UCCs operating on Sundays and National Holidays today (November 2). Minister Chung-Liang Shih of the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that according to the triage records, as high as 80% of all patients in the emergency room of major hospitals are not in critical conditions. Therefore, effectively diverting the patients is the first step to reduce congestion in emergency rooms and the implementation of UCCs is one of the key policies. UCCs are designed to divert non-critical patients from emergency rooms, alleviating the excessive workload of frontline medical staff and reserving emergency resources for those in more urgent need.
Director General Lian-Yu Chen of the NHIA stated that the issue of emergency room congestion must be delt from multiple aspects. Firstly, 13 UCCs established nationwide will be operating from 8am to midnight on Sundays and national holidays. The Public is advised to visit nearby UCCs for fever, respiratory tract symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, simple sutures, and acute discomfort for pediatric patients. Additionally, in response to the nine-day Lunar Year holidays in 2026 (February 14–22, 2026), the NHIA has made early preparations encouraging medical facilities to provide continuous healthcare services during the holidays. To ensure uninterrupted access to medical care for the public, consultation fees, nursing fees, and pharmaceutical service fees will be increased by 30% to 100%, with a total estimated funding allocation of NT$1.36 billion from the NHIA. Finally, the OPAT Incentive Program implemented since this August has received great initial results. Therefore, starting from November, another option for outpatient antibiotic treatment has been introduced, allowing patients to receive continuous antibiotic administration through portable infusion devices. An additional NT$50 million has been allocated to the program and it is expected to benefit approximately 10,000 patients.
The NHIA remains committed to placing public health at the center of its mission and improving resource utilization efficiency. With continuous monitoring and adjustments that aim to refine the healthcare payment system, the NHIA is demonstrating the resilience of Taiwan’s NHI program.