VP Chen met 22 winners of the Biotechnology and Medical Care Quality Award 2017
"Healthcare would be a trillion-dollar industry for Taiwan"
The winners of Biotechnology and Medical Care Quality Award 2017 met with VP Chien-Jen Chen to receive the affirmation of their accomplishments in ECMO assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), patient care for a rare hereditary disease (Pompe disease), advanced surgery such as epiphyseal preservation and pancreas transplant, and more ranging from nursing care to drugs, skin care to health supplements. VP Chen echoed the values and meanings that the Award has brought to Taiwan and the healthcare industry, he then wished for the industry to become the next trillion-dollar sector. Chen also shared his experience in working with IBMI to raise visibility of Taiwan’s high quality of health services and products, and expressed his gratitude for the awarding committee for their diligence in holding the highest standard of quality.
The Award issued to 22 winners amongst 318 candidates, suggesting a fierce competition, according to IBMI VP Pan-Chyr Yang. There were 16 winners in medical care, including 6 from drugs, food and health products. Other categories, such as medical devices and biomedical technologies, were not awarded this time. From this, we can overview the strengths and weaknesses of Taiwan’s biomedical industry. The Award has, however, discovered products, services and technologies over 20 years in biomedical related fields, with aims at integrating IT, electronics, machinery, bio-pharmaceuticals through the lead by medicine. A foundation shall be laid with these strength areas to cultivate Taiwan’s healthcare industry.
Dr. Chung-Liang Chien, CEO at IBMI commented that the Award winners are amongst the best in their respective fields, who are willing to share, cooperate and do everything to explore outside the comfort zone. Chien encouraged frequent communications between the public and private sectors in order for the policy making and the economic infrastructure of industry development to respond to needs for industry scaling and internationalisation.
Hong-Nerng Ho, Superintendent of National Taiwan University Hospital, remarked on behalf of the award-winning teams at NTU hospital, that hospitals would be able to keep informed of the latest development and advances in medicine and learn from each other because of the Award. The Award also spurs the openness, competitiveness and motivation for healthcare providers to challenge and prepare themselves to be a pioneer or leader in and outside of Taiwan. Ho said NTUH teams have noticed more and more hospitals incorporated in their presentations with data and information from abroad, which suggests an upward trend on internationalisation.
Vice President Chen concluded that bioeconomy will be the future, yet Taiwan should eye on the healthcare industry in addition to biotechnology, given the ageing society facing the country. Other sectors are equally important, such as drugs, medical devices, food, agriculture, ICT, machinery and materials. Industry development would be strong and could be driven by Taiwan’s strength areas. IBMI VP Yang pointed that the Ministry of Health and Welfare and IBMI have launched “Taiwan Healthcare Plus” portal, plus with the inaugural Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan in 2017 which attracted over 300 exhibitors to showcase at 1,050 booths, President Tsai and Minister Lai of the Executive Yuan visited the Expo as well. Healthcare+ Expo 2018 will promote Taiwan’s excellence in biomedical industries internationally, further expand its global network and help makes the biomedical industry the next trillion-dollar business, according to Yang.
