Taiwan launches 6-month inpatient rehab program for stroke patients

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) Taiwan on Friday launched a pilot inpatient rehabilitation program for stroke patients, providing up to 180 days of intensive daily care to aid their recovery.

The program is expected to serve 1,600 to 2,000 patients annually, according to the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA), which is implementing the pilot program for rehabilitation wards under the National Health Insurance (NHI) system.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) attended the launch ceremony at Yuankuo Hospital in Changhua County, one of 10 healthcare facilities participating in the pilot program administered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Lai said the government has allocated NT$300 million (US$9.38 million) outside the regular NHI budget to support the program through the end of 2027.

The program is intended not only to care for those with disabilities resulting from stroke but also to help them regain independence, he said.

Under the program, stroke patients will receive two to five hours of integrated rehabilitation therapy and training each day to improve their ability to live independently, NHIA Director-General Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤) said at the event.

Chen said the 180-day coverage period reflects advances in neuroscience showing that stroke patients retain significant recovery potential well beyond the traditional three-month "golden window."

Although NHI reimbursement does not cap the length of inpatient stays, hospitalizations lasting 180 days are rare because most medical facilities focus on acute treatment rather than long-term rehabilitation, making the new program distinctive, according to the NHIA.

The program also allows patients to remain at a single hospital for rehabilitation instead of transferring between hospitals or commuting from home for outpatient therapy as is common under the current system, the agency said.

Another key feature is that participating hospitals must provide at least one occupational or physical therapist for every eight patients, the office said.

The 10 regional hospitals participating in the program are located in Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Yilan, and Hualien counties. Together, they have rehabilitation wards capable of serving 1,600 to 2,000 patients a year, Chen said.

The hospitals were chosen in part to help redirect patients from major medical centers to regional facilities, according to Chen Jyh-hong (陳志鴻), a deputy convener of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee at the Presidential Office.

Now a super-aged society, with over 20 percent of the population aged 65 or older, Taiwan records between 30,000 and 50,000 new stroke cases each year, according to the NHIA.

The number of people requiring long-term care currently stands at about 900,000, or 3.9 percent of the total population, and is projected to reach 2.1 million by 2031, the agency said.