Next minister to be on WHA sidelines

Health minister Hsueh Jui-yuan said Chiu Tai-yuan would lead a group to Geneva, and urged the WHO to consider what Taiwan can offer the global community

Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said his ministry has not received an invitation to attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) from May 27 to June 1, but Taiwan’s delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, would be led by the new health minister, who is to take office on May 20.

Before reporting on prevention measures for the sexual exploitation of children and young people at a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday morning, reporters asked Hsueh about this year’s WHA.

“We haven’t received an invitation yet,” Hsueh said. “As it [the

WHA] will begin on May 27, which is after Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) takes office, the new minister will presumably lead the delegation to attend it.”

Chiu, a former Democratic Progressive Party legislator and an honorary professor at National Taiwan University Hospital, was named the next health minister on Friday last week.

Due to opposition from China, Taiwan has not been invited to the WHA since 2017, after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) came to office in May 2016.

However, the health minister has every year led a delegation to meet health officials from other countries on the sidelines of the WHA.

Meanwhile, The Diplomat on Tuesday published an op-ed by Hsueh titled “Taiwan Is Indispensable in Preparing for Future Pandemics.”

In the article, Hsueh said the COVID-19 pandemic showed that the global health governance framework is not effective in responding to global health threats, and as the WHO and many countries are reviewing their response strategies, revisions to the International Health Regulations (2005) and a new pandemic agreement have been proposed, which might be approved at the WHA.

However, Taiwan is not a WHO member state and cannot directly influence the global body’s decisions, but it is nonetheless greatly concerned about the documents and eager to contribute by sharing pandemic management insights and learning from international practices, he said.

Taiwan was the first to identify the COVID-19 risk and promptly executed adaptive measures, Hsueh said.

Taiwan also “proactively shared vital information with global partners and garnered public trust through commitment to openness,” he said, adding that it would refine the approaches to address future pandemics.

“We strongly endorse the passage and implementation of amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) and the pandemic agreement. We call on the WHO to include Taiwan as a signatory to these documents,” Hsueh said.

That would enable the nation to collaborate on monitoring new virus strains, reporting and exchanging pathogen diagnosis data, and sharing novel vaccine and antiviral research or clinical trial results, strengthening collective global action against pandemics, he said.

“We urge the WHO to support Taiwan’s inclusion in overseeing global health.” Hsueh said. “Taiwan seeks to cooperate with the WHO to remedy geographic gaps in global health security and to construct a comprehensive global health framework.”

The nation has worked hard to attain universal health coverage, and consistently improving the quality of its healthcare and the health of all individuals, in line with WHO recommendations, he said, adding that Taiwan is working to share its experiences and expertise with the international community.

Citing examples of Taiwan’s contributions toward realizing the right to health in the Caribbean, Haiti, Kenya, Ukraine and South Pacific island nations, and providing humanitarian assistance to victims of natural disasters in Indonesia, Japan, Hawaii, Turkey and Philippines, Hsueh said: “Taiwan remains a steadfast partner in defending the right to health of all people everywhere.”

“Taiwan believes that health is a human right. Yet the rights of Taiwan’s 23 million people are disregarded by the WHO for political reasons,” he said. “We urge the WHO and all relevant parties to recognize Taiwan’s considerable contributions to global public health and the human right to health.”

Taiwan should be included in the WHA and all WHO meetings, activities and mechanisms, particularly those concerned with the WHO pandemic agreement, he said.