10 PERSPECTIVES ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS | VOL 43 | 2025 The Taiwan Precision Health Initiative: Implications for public health preparedness Anoushka Nambiar Taiwan’s impressive pandemic response can be attributed to early intervention strategies that led to an emphasis on individualized health care. The Taiwan Precision Health Initiative launched new tactics to improve public health by targeting precision medicine, regenerative medicine, and digital health innovation. By prioritizing data privacy and fiscal transparency, Taiwan can reduce health-care costs, improve the overall quality of health, and enhance disease control and prevention. Introduction Taiwan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was impressive, particularly considering its proximity to China. As of 2023, 91.84% of the population had received at least one dose of the vaccine (Johns Hopkins…, 2023). Throughout 2020, Taiwan outperformed its peer countries at containing the initial spread of COVID-19, having held a streak of 253 days without a local infection (Lu & Liang, 2024). The first case of COVID-19 in Taiwan was identified on January 21, 2020, and laboratories worked diligently to create test kits within the next 10 days (Lin et al., 2020a). The use of face masks was already established as a common health practice, and supply was monitored to prevent unexpected shortages (Tan, 2021). As an initial part of its response plan, the island also quickly implemented immediate screenings and digital contact tracing. As discussed in this article, such success did not manifest from thin air. Taiwan’s robust public health strategies to combat the coronavirus were based on its experience managing the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak (Lin et al., 2020a). This level of preparedness will prove invaluable in controlling future pandemics. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, global threats have emerged, including dengue, avian influenza, and monkeypox. To prevent outbreaks, Taiwan has implemented active surveillance, stringent border control, and vaccine distribution (Yang et al., 2022). Combining data on confirmed cases and vaccination rates with health histories and lifestyle choices will provide valuable insights about vulnerable populations during active epidemics. Because clinical data can be influenced by a variety of factors that are subject to individual circumstances, housing these data in a comprehensive databank, the Taiwan Biobank, benefits citizens not only during a public health crisis but also in their everyday lives. Taiwan has channeled the lessons learned from the SARS and COVID-19 epidemics into strengthening public health preparedness, thereby developing a comprehensive set of strategies that form a powerful approach to precision health. The biological arms race between human immune systems and virulent pathogens is unceasing. As a technologically advanced island, Taiwan is at the forefront of integrating innovative technology into individualized health care. The Taiwan Precision Health Initiative (TPHI) is a comprehensive, data-driven strategy that leverages three integrated components: precision medicine, regenerative medicine, and digital health innovation. The dynamic interplay between research and clinical practice has benefits at individual and population levels, simultaneously improving the health of the citizens while preparing for the next emerging infectious disease. This approach has helped Taiwan outperform most nations in dealing with the threat of COVID-19. Nevertheless, various aspects of the initiative can be refined for greater success. TPHI warrants increased privacy protection, greater fiscal transparency, and improved data collection and data management procedures to deepen its capacity to enhance health outcomes, reduce costs, and strengthen Taiwan’s public health infrastructure. The Taiwan Precision Health Initiative In her inaugural address in 2020, President Tsai Ing-wen highlighted the precision health sector as one of six core strategic industries (National Development Council, 2021). Continuing to strengthen these industries lays a solid foundation for economic doi:10.18275/pbe-v043-003
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