Page 69 - 2022 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

3. Remote Areas Nurse Nurturing Plan: With 194 nursing students were nurtured by government funding during 2015 to 2018, 120 graduates were distributed to rural hospitals until 2021.
Chapter 6 Health Care for Specially Targeted Groups
▏Section 1 Health Care for Indigenous People
The statistics from the Council of Indigenous People, as of December 2021, there were 580,758 indigenous people in Taiwan, accounting for 2.48% of its total population. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), in 2020, the average life expectancy of indigenous people came to 73.66 years, and the gap in life expectancy between the indigenous and general population decreased to 7.66 years. The Ministry has endeavored to improve the accessibility of health and medical care for people in indigenous communities with the following promotional strategies:
1. Enhancing basic healthcare services:
(1) Replacing the equipment of medical institutions in indigenous communities: In 2021, the Ministry has subsidized 145 items of medical equipment; 2 (re)construction, 1 space planning, and 2 renovation of health centers(rooms).
(2) Increasing the internet quality of health centers(rooms) and touring medical stations in indigenous areas: In 2021, the broadband speed of health centers(rooms) and touring medical stations was 100Mbps or the highest speed available locally at 316 sites, and was replaced the equipment for HIS/PACS system in 45 health centers.
2. Enhancing local capacities for medical care:
(1) Awards grants for establishing medical facilities in indigenous areas.
(2) Transport fees for referral, major or urgent injuries/illnesses patients go for medical treatment for indigenous people were subsidized.
(3) Trial the services of telemedicine in specialist clinic.
(4) Establishing 51 health promotion centers in indigenous communities.
(5) Increasing local capacities for nurturing medical personnel.
3. Evaluation of the 10 major indigenous community health action plan:
To Facilitate health equality across indigenous communities, the MOHW implemented the 10 major indigenous community health action plan in May 2018. Some accomplishments of this trial program are as follows:
(1) To increase the training of government- funded students, and the number of doctors per 10,000 people in indigenous areas increased from 18.35 in 2011 to 22.97 in 2020, an increase of 25% over 10 years.
(2) In areas covered by this trial program, the percentage of high-risk pregnant women taking at least four prenatal checks increased to 95.5% from 86.9%. The accident mortality rate fell to 44% from 56.5%. In terms of gastrointestinal cancer prevention, the percentage of people receiving treatment after testing positive for Helicobacter pylori rose to 87.4% from 78%. Of indigenous people taking the initiative to test for tuberculosis, the percentage rose to 53% from 49% among people aged between 35 and 64, and to 55% from 40% among those aged 65 and older.
(3) According to Ministry of the Interior statistics, the gap between the life expectancy at birth of indigenous people and the national average already narrowed to 7.66 years in 2020 from 8.17 years in 2017.
▏Section 2 Health Care for New Immigrants
According to the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, in 2021, 229,212 people registered for marriage. In terms of their nationality, 221,045 were Taiwanese, 8,167 were foreigners (3,115 men and 5,052 women). The MOHW has promoted the following policies to improve the reproductive health of new immigrants and reduce life and treatment difficulties caused by language barriers:
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