Taiwan seeks to boost elderly health care in 'super-aged' society: Lai

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) As Taiwan becomes a super-aged society, the government intends to strengthen three major pillars of health in the hope of making the country a global model for aging nations, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Friday.

Speaking at the opening of the Healthy Ageing Tech Show in Taipei, Lai said Taiwan's senior care sector is expected to reach NT$3.6 trillion (US$120.59 billion) in value this year, which would likely represent more than one-seventh of GDP.

Lai said it was even more important now to implement measures to address the health issues of older adults given that Taiwan has currently about 4.57 million people aged 65 or older, accounting for around 19.6 percent of the population.

That means it will hit the 20-percent mark by the end of this year, the threshold of a super-aged society.

Citing the need to strengthen three major pillars of health, the president said the first step is to improve Taiwan's medical quality and health care services.

Since taking office last year, Lai said his administration has not only pushed for national health insurance (NHI) reform, but also increased the NHI program's funding with an aim to improve the working conditions of medical personnel.

He highlighted the allocation of NT$6.8 billion in the 2025 budget to expand eligibility criteria and new tests for Taiwan's national cancer screening programs, as well as the establishment of a NT$10 billion cancer drug fund to help address the financial challenges faced by cancer patients.

The second pillar pertains to the government's plan to introduce "long-term care 3.0" in 2026.

By building institutional capacity and using smart and preventive health care, the plan aims to better integrate medical care and long-term care to realize the vision of healthy aging, community-based elderly care, and dignified end-of-life care, Lai said.

The third pillar focuses on providing comprehensive support services for elderly people, particularly in terms of food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and recreation, he said.

Lai hoped that all those involved in the field can work together to provide better support for the elderly, create more business opportunities in the senior care industry, and make Taiwan a global model for aging societies.

The Healthy Ageing Tech Show is being held at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1 through Sunday.

In October 2024, the National Development Council released its biennial report noting that Taiwan is on course to become a "super-aged society" in 2025 as projected.

Under the World Health Organization's definition, a society is considered "aging" when the population aged 65 and over reaches 7 percent of the total population; "aged" when it reaches 14 percent; and "super-aged" when it reaches 20 percent.

According to data released Friday by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Taiwan's population totaled 23,337,936 at the end of July, marking the 19th consecutive month of decline.

The July figure was 8,805 lower than the previous month and 71,387 less than in the same period last year, the MOI said.

Also, the population aged 65 and over numbered 4,583,678, accounting for 19.64 percent of the total population, while those aged 15 to 64 totaled 16,042,116 (68.74 percent), and the population aged 0 to 14 was 2,712,142 (11.62 percent).