Disease knows no borders, and we mustn't leave anyone behind when it comes to medical attention.
Israel's noble adoption of this principle was evident when it became the first country to establish a field hospital in war-ravaged Ukraine, which provides medical services to refugees fleeing the military conflict as part of the Kochav Meir humanitarian assistance campaign.
Taiwan has assumed the same principle because it would be immoral to leave behind those in need of medical help. Accordingly, Taiwan donated masks and other medical supplies to the staff who toiled in Israel and other countries across the world when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020.
Two years into the pandemic and more than 510 million confirmed cases and 6.25 million deaths have been recorded worldwide. As countries fought the virus, Taiwan has demonstrated impressive achievements.
As of May 10, 2022, some 390,000 confirmed COVID cases and 931 deaths have been recorded in Taiwan, which has a population of 23.5 million. Additionally, due to the collective efforts of the government and the nation, Taiwan's economic growth in 2021 stood at 6.45%.
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Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen lights memorial candles on International Holocaust Memorial Day
Taiwan managed to rein in the virus, while its population went on with their normal lives. All while bolstering the economy by utilizing technology, information transparency, strict border control, and precise examination of confirmed cases.
As the Omicron variant of coronavirus emerged in late 2021, the rate of infection spiked in Taiwan and the rest of the world. Attempts to prevent community spread of the pathogen proved to be a useless exertion that would bear great consequences to the welfare and income of the population.
Hence, starting in April 2022, the government chose to focus its efforts on preventing severe cases and managing moderate ones, as well as minimizing the negative effects of the pandemic on the country. This new working model enabled people to go on with their lives, while still actively containing the virus and allowing the country to open up at a stable rate.
The world today is still facing the challenges the pandemic had brought with it: distributing vaccines and recovering from the economic downturn.
Taiwan was an essential player in the worldwide process of recovery from the COVID pandemic. In an effort to live alongside the virus that is not going to just disappear, Taiwan continues to collaborate with other countries in research and vaccine development and donates medical equipment to countries still reeling from the virus. Taiwan proved that it can be of aid, and indeed does so in times of need.
The National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan, established in 1995, played a central role in fighting the pandemic, providing quality universal medical services. Taiwan's medical system was ranked second in the world in 2021 by the CEOWorld - a leading international business magazine. We want to share our experience and journey, through which we succeed in effectively managing our medical data pool.
Taiwan will continue to cooperate with the rest of the world and work so that everyone can enjoy the basic human right of health.
Ya-Ping (Abby) Lee is a representative at Taiwan's Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv.