Incentives offered to keep clinics open during Lunar New Year holiday

Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) announced Sunday that it will encourage medical institutions to stay open during the Lunar New Year holiday in 2026 by providing a 30-100 percent increase in National Health Insurance reimbursements.

In a news release, the agency said NT$1.36 billion (US$44.16 million) has been budgeted to raise physician, nursing, and pharmaceutical service fees from Feb. 14-22, when the Lunar New Year holiday falls in 2026, to ensure the public has access to medical services during that time.

NHIA Director-General Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤) said at a press conference that this will be the first time such markups are offered for outpatient, inpatient and emergency care at medical institutions of all levels.

Also at the press event, Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) announced that Urgent Care Centers began operating Sunday at 13 locations across Taiwan's six special municipalities, staffed by rotating primary care physicians.

The centers will be open on Sundays and national holiday for patients with fevers, respiratory symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, minor injuries or acute discomfort in children.

The fees for these centers will be lower than large hospitals, encouraging visits by non-emergency patients and thereby reducing patient numbers in emergency rooms, Shih said.