Taiwan to expand free cancer screening in 2026: Official

Taipei, Feb. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) plans to promote gastric cancer screening by expanding a free program to cover all of Taiwan in 2026, an official announced on Tuesday.

The program will be paid for by the National Health Insurance for eligible individuals, and will be further expanded to Taiwan's 22 cities and counties next year from current 17, according to Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍), head of the MOHW's Health Promotion Administration (HPA).

An annual budget of approximately NT$200 million (US$6.07 million) to NT$300 million will be allocated for the program, which is expected to benefit 500,000 to 600,000 people each year, Wu told reporters ahead of a news conference marking 2025 World Cancer Day.

It will be Taiwan's sixth free cancer screening program, Wu said.

Cancer often has no obvious symptoms in its early stages, and by the time it is diagnosed, it may be too late, Wu said. It is only through early detection and treatment that the development of cancer can be blocked and the survival rate boosted, he said.

He added that the HPA already provides free "five cancer screenings" for high-risk groups for these types of cancers: cervical, breast, colorectal, oral and lung cancer.

After a cost-effectiveness analysis by the Center for Health Policy and Technology Assessment, "detection of Helicobacter pylori using stool antigen" is considered feasible to prevent gastric cancer and suitable for people aged 50-74 years old, according to Wu.

Such screening was conducted for 4.8 million people on a trial basis in nine cities and counties in the second half of last year, and more than 60,000 cases of cancer and precancerous lesions were found, Wu said.

This year, the program is being expanded to 17 cities and counties, and its effectiveness will be reviewed to establish an operating model, Wu added.

In the future, people aged 45-79 will be eligible for the government-funded gastric cancer screening, the same as those eligible for NHI-covered colorectal cancer screening, Wu said.

According to HPA data, 4.8 million to 5 million individuals in Taiwan receive government-subsidized cancer screening services every year.

The HPA has set a goal of having 7.5 million to 8 million individuals get free cancer screenings this year and plans to eventually raise the number to 12 million people a year.