Gov plans expanded long-term care to meet super-aged society challenges

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) Deputy Health Minister Lue Jen-der (呂建德) said Thursday the government's "long-term care 3.0" program aims to further integrate hospitals, community care providers and home-based medical services to build a seamless care system for older adults.

Speaking at a meeting of the Presidential Office's Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee, Lue said the current average wait time for people to receive long-term care services after being discharged from the hospital is four days -- a significant drop from 51 days in 2017.

Under the planned 3.0 framework, the government aims to shorten that post-discharge wait to two days by the end of 2026 and eliminate it entirely by 2030, he said.

To achieve that goal, hospitals will help patients complete simple care plans before discharge and connect them directly with community-based providers, he said.

For people with medical needs, the planned program will provide services including home visits and family physician care under the National Health Insurance system.

Speaking at the same event, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said that Taiwan entered super-aged society status this year, with people aged 65 or older now making up more than 20 percent of the population.

The rollout of "long-term care 3.0" starting next year is meant to address mounting pressure on the system, he said.