• Tri-Service General Hospital netted Gold with a world’s first AI application in emergency medicine for the detection of life-threatening low potassium (hypokalemia).
• National Taiwan University Hospital won Silver through discovery of the cause of secondary hypertension and that of pancreatic cancer.
• Taipei Veterans General Hospital received Bronze with surgical treatments for severe scoliosis and brain tumour.
• Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou branch the Bronze medallist as well for image-guided, precise endoscopy to remove a small volume of lung tumour.

President Tsai met and congratulated the 24^th National Biotechnology and Medical Care Quality Award winners for their outstanding achievements on 2 May. There were 19 award winners honoured for their work surpassing international standards. 

The award, coupled with the SNQ certificate, attracted nearly 300 applications. A hundred and two medical institutes with their 244 submissions were publicly recognised for meeting or surpassing safety and quality requirements.

The award had one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze winners. Tri-Service General Hospital (TSGH) took the first place with its department of nephrology upon treating severe hypokalemia through diagnosis, treatment to monitoring, having been the world's first to analyse the cause of hypokalemia with a single urine electrolytes test. The systematic approach that TSGH developed had been included in Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.

National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) wrapped two Silver medals thanks to their two crucial achievements. A team tasked with primary aldosteronism study had discovered that congenital adrenal hyperplasia can be decisive to the cause of secondary hypertension and it had developed a top-ranking laparoscopic procedure. Adding to that Silver medallist is the ERCP team that had proved blood glucose a large part that leads to pancreatic cancer. The team provides an endoscopic procedure and an endoscopic ultrasound evaluation up to 99.2 diagnostic rate.

Two Bronze medals went to Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) and one to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH)’s Linkou branch. TVGH’s dept. of orthopaedics performs spinal fusion to treat a significant amount of rotation of spine (rotoscoliosis) and the surgical outcome has so far been the best in Taiwan in terms of safety, quality, complications, patient’s recovery and satisfaction. Stereotactic brain surgery using Gamma Knife for huge arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and paediatric brain tumours, also from TVGH, stood out with the surgical difficulty, number of cases and surgical outcomes accomplished.

CGMH won the medal for focusing precisely on lung tumour sized in average 0.85 centimetres and targeting a lesion in merely 16.5 minutes- up to 98.5% targeting succeeded.

▲President Tsai in the meeting with the SNQ award winners

Jin-Pyng Wang, Chairman RBMP, said in his speech: “The government has long been dedicating to international cooperation in terms of medicine and public health. The award winners are our champions and of great help to international cooperation. Deputy minister Chung-Liang Shih of Health and Welfare had laid a foundation for us following the southbound policy. RBMP is working to support the government as per Taiwan’s strength in healthcare and clinical outcomes, literally in three facets.” 

“First, inviting hospitals to be demonstration sites in which interdisciplinary collaborations are welcomed and medtech applications can be developed and vetted; second, expanding Taiwan’s international footprint of health services and products; and lastly, talent development. RBMP will work closely with medical institutes across Taiwan upon professional training and talent development.”, Wang added.

Ming-Shiang Wu and Wei-Ming Chen, who heads NTUH and TVGH respectively, also shared what the National Biotechnology and Medical Care Quality Award could mean for medical institutes. The award, according to Wu, provides an open arena for all contestants. The screening and shortlisting mechanism has taken into account a full coverage of medical care and services, pressing medical institutes towards excellence systematically. Not only the award winners are internationally iconic, but they will be members of the reviewing committee by their legacy of experience and expertise. 

▲Ming-Shiang Wu, superintendent, National Taiwan University Hospital

▲Wei-Ming Chen, superintendent, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

▲Chih-Hung Wang, superintendent, Tri-Service General Hospital