13 MARTINDALE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW). A regenerative therapy review committee approves unlicensed regenerative medicinal products in the event of an emergency. Although the price of treatments (such as those treating cancer) is climbing to millions of Taiwan dollars, there is strong commitment at the government level to continue supporting regenerative medicine projects while simultaneously maintaining extremely high ethical standards of care for the population. The regenerative medicine market was valued at US$24.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to US$174.7 billion in 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of around 22.8% (InvesTaiwan, 2024). Shen Chia-Ning, a research fellow at the Genomics Research Center of Academia Sinica, concedes that such cell therapy technology is still at an early stage (InvesTaiwan, 2024). When this strategy is strengthened, long-term treatment costs are expected to decline and, coupled with faster recovery times, to reduce the need for lengthy hospital stays. The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine in the US published a report (2020) calculating the potential cost savings of cell and gene therapy for patients with multiple myeloma, hemophilia A, or sickle cell disease. The total potential savings ranged from “18 to 30% in annual total disease costs and productivity,” suggesting an accumulation of more than US$33 billion in savings by 2029. Digital health innovation The third component of the TPHI involves digital health innovation, focusing on the application of various technologies like wearable devices, telemedicine, and data management (Lu & Liang, 2024). Taiwan has exhibited commitment to incorporating technology in all fields to improve efficiencies in society, and the health-care field is no exception. Identification of a disease like COVID-19 is difficult due to the wide range of clinical symptoms. Some individuals present as completely asymptomatic, while others require critical hospital assistance. Wang and colleagues (2022), from the National Cheng-Kung University, have created a pneumonia detection platform called MedCHeX. This AI-based program utilizes chest X-ray images to identify COVID-19 symptoms. A key advantage of a noninvasive diagnostic approach like this is the improved speed of disease detection. Instead of using the polymerase chain reaction technique, which involves the extraction and amplification of DNA, an X-ray machine can identify signs of COVID-19. Integrating more AI-based programs for disease identification would improve diagnostic efficiency and effectiveness at the population level (Chen et al., 2020a). The telemedicine program in Taiwan was established in 1995 (Lu & Liang, 2024) and is popular with those in remote areas or with chronic conditions. Telemedicine appointments allow patients to consult health-care providers without having to visit in person; they were heavily utilized during the pandemic. Those who tested positive or were identified as close contacts were required to confirm their infection with a physician through the telemedicine program (Lu & Liang, 2024). The telemedicine market is expected to prosper in the coming years, with a planned expansion from US$74.5 billion in 2023 to US$476.5 billion by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 22.9% (International Trade Administration, 2024). Taiwan’s Communicable Disease Control Act, enacted after the 2003 SARS epidemic, granted the government access to information useful for coronavirus control. Public health officials essentially gained access to citizens’ travel history through their NHI cards (Summers et al., 2020); each card is linked to a unique identifier and connects to numerous pharmacies and health centers (Feng et al., 2022). This integration allowed for tangible, day-to-day support for citizens, for instance, informing them where to obtain face masks (Lin et al., 2020a). Quick response codes posted outside public spaces aimed to make contacts and visited locations more accessible during incubation periods (Wang et al., 2020). Combining the NHI card network with prompt digital contact tracing streamlined identification of high-risk individuals. The Communicable Disease Control Act has been revised 11 times. Revisions have expanded the Central Epidemic Command Center’s authority and allowed policy adjustments based on current data about each epidemic. The legislation requires a balance between disease containment and individual privacy, while simultaneously outlining respective duties for government, health-care workers, and citizens (Su, 2021). The revised act also allows collecting electronic footprints from cell phones used by confirmed COVID-19 cases (Chen et al., 2024). Not only does digital health benefit providers but also cloud-based systems deliver significant advantages for citizens. MediCloud, a data-sharing platform that integrates health information across all medical doctors and pharmacists, was created in 2015. Data sharing includes diagnostic testing, medical imaging, and vaccination records. Over 85% of respondents in a 2021 poll indicated willingness to have such records in the system, with younger age groups displaying more enthusiasm
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