New Taipei Mayor Hou leads delegation on European visit

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) on Saturday led a delegation of city officials on a European visit, which will focus on learning European good practices in health services and urban planning.

In a brief statement, Hou told reporters at Taoyuan International Airport that he will visit Hogeweyk, a dementia care community in the Netherlands, to learn how to provide community-based care for people with dementia and better support elderly patients.

The delegation includes Ko Ching-chung (柯慶忠), deputy secretary-general of the New Taipei City government, and health department chief Chen Jun-chiu (陳潤秋).

Earlier on Friday, the city government said Hou will also visit Dutch tech firm Philips' technology campus in the Netherlands to observe community-based dementia care models and AI medical applications.

This trip, it said, will serve as a reference in promoting Taiwan's Long-Term Care 3.0 and dementia-friendly policies.

While in the Netherlands, the mayor will also visit the branch office of Taiwanese firm Onyx Healthcare Inc. to learn about the current developments and challenges for New Taipei businesses in the international smart healthcare market.

According to the city government, Hou and his delegation will also make stops in Austria and the Czech Republic before returning to Taiwan on Sept. 9.

In Austria, Hou's itinerary includes visits to Seestadt Aspern in Vienna's new town and the New Danube area near the old city, to learn from the successful experiences of some of the world's most livable cities.

Details about his itinerary in the Czech Republic were not made available.