Topic Stories

Visit the post office for convenient and prompt replacement or reissue of the NHI IC card

ccicareit — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:05:52 GMT

The Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) estimates that after the 9-day Chinese New Year holiday this year, there will be more people applying for replacement or reissue of the NHI IC card due to loss, damage and other reasons. The BNHI reminds the public to visit their nearest post offices for replacing or reissuing their NHI IC card. New cards could be sent approximately within 5-6 working days. For urgent cases, the people could apply at the local BNHI branches. For people who have already applied for replacement or reissue of the NHI IC card at the local post offices but not received it, they could show their ID card and receipt for the application within 14 days and fill in the “Registry for medical treatment exception” when there is an urgent need for medical attention, so that they could still be provided with medical care covered by the national health insurance without losing any benefits. For more information on application for replacement or reissue of the health insurance IC card, please visit the BNHI website (http://www.nhi.gov.tw/) and browse the “Health Insurance IC card” section.

We need everybody’s participation to work together in establishing a safe environment for receiving traditional Chinese medical treatment

駐點工程師 — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:05:02 GMT

In recent years, as the global population ages, there has been a trend for a return to natural medicine approaches, with traditional Chinese medical therapy not only undergoing a resurgence in popularity domestically, but also serving as a new focal point for development in international biotechnology. As of the end of 2008, there were 22 dedicated traditional Chinese medical hospitals in Taiwan, as well as 3,160 traditional Chinese medicine clinics, 81 traditional Chinese medical clinics attached to allopathic medical hospitals, and 5,099 licensed traditional Chinese medical practitioners. Almost all of the populace has received traditional Chinese medical treatment or herbal remedies at some time, as both have very high accessibility and utilization rates. Thus the urgency of developing a safe environment for enjoying traditional Chinese medical therapy, securing the public’s treatment rights, and providing high quality traditional Chinese medicine practices, have remained central policy concerns of this Department. The Department believes that establishment of a safe traditional Chinese medical environment can best be accomplished through a triple combination of measures including “medical administration”, “patient safety”, and “educational outreach”. 1. Medical administration: Consonant with our authority under the Physicians Act and Medical Care Act regulations, we will supervise local health bureaus in enforcement actions against those practicing medicine without a license, illegal practices, unlawful traditional Chinese medical advertising, unauthorized excessive healthcare fees, etcetera, to ensure strict administration at the point of service. 2. Patient safety: To further patient safety, we have developed a patient-provider model set of “Guidelines for Safe Practices in Traditional Chinese Medical Clinics”, for observance by all traditional Chinese health clinics, to help prevent medical errors. To encourage continuous professional growth and development improving the quality of these healthcare providers, we have developed our “Guidelines for Accreditation of Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioners Continuing Education Courses and Credits”, which will help establish a comprehensive framework for traditional Chinese physician’s continuing education and licensure renewal. We are planning to deploy the “Plan for the Improvement of the Professionalism and Proficiency of Traditional Chinese Doctors” and the “Plan for Training for Traditional Chinese Medical Clinic Directors”, as practical means of moving forward systematic and organized training for these healthcare providers. Additionally, as we strive to establish a patient-centered traditional Chinese healthcare system which is safe, efficacious, convenient, productive, and has high quality, we will undertake the “Plan for Accreditation and Evaluation of Two Year or longer Clinical Education Providers for Traditional Chinese Medical Clinic Directors” and “Plan for Clinical Guidelines and Protocols and Comprehensive Curricula for Clinical Education Providers Training Traditional Chinese Medical Clinic Directors ”, and to issue public notice of the approval of 41 qualifying clinical education provider hospitals and their course requirements, to enhance the management of traditional Chinese medical practices, to better ensure the clinical quality of traditional Chinese healthcare facilities. 3. Educational outreach: Our efforts in these regards will move a parallel patient and provider tracks. In terms of the public, we will prepare patient education pamphlets, inserts, stickers, posters and lightbox displays, to instill proper attitudes regarding safe traditional Chinese medicine healthcare practices. For physicians, we will collate the latest regulatory updates and statistical data, to prepare a “Guide to Traditional Chinese Medical Practice Regulations” and “Overview of the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine”, for distribution to the Taiwan TCM Association and traditional Chinese medical clinics for reference by healthcare providers to ensure they have the latest information within easy reach facilitating their informed compliance with their duties. We will also encourage all branches of the Taiwan TCM Association to establish “Physician Disciplinary Committees”, deploying the force of mutual peer-mediated supervision, to handle disputes in their respective jurisdictions regarding unlicensed practitioners, illegal health claims advertising, unauthorized use of allopathic pharmaceutical ingredients in traditional Chinese herbal preparations, etcetera, to work together to protect the hard-earned good name of the traditional Chinese medical field. With the rapid expansion of public receptivity to traditional medicine, the public is rightly concerned with enjoying a safe healthcare environment. The Department therefore will strive to secure an environment which can help mollify any public concerns about the safety of traditional Chinese healthcare. We take this opportunity to again remind all the public nationwide that during the traditional New Year’s holiday period, it is natural friends and family will gather and share hospitality and enjoy festive fellowship. However, it is imperative to pay attention to one’s dietary intake and lifestyle, to ensure adequate rest and exercise. For those with any health problems, please seek the attention of licensed qualified healthcare providers; and if you desire to receive traditional Chinese medical care, please go to a licensed traditional Chinese medical clinic. Do not trust spurious health claims which exaggerate their benefits, and beware of frauds, to prevent harm to your finances or health. Please cooperate with us by reporting suspected violations, as we must all be responsible for one another. We welcome everyone’s participation, so please feel free to contact your nearest health bureau or the Department’s Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy (TEL: 02-2587-2828) to make a report. Lets work together to create a safe traditional Chinese healthcare environment, so that everyone nationwide can enjoy better traditional Chinese healthcare services. The Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy extends their heartfelt wishes to all for a happy and healthy new year!

Do not purchase Chinese herb medicines of unknown origin when preparing tonics during the Chinese New Year holiday

駐點工程師 — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:04:05 GMT

Taiwans climate is rather variable. Timed in the winter season, the Chinese New Year holiday is a good occasion for families to gather together for a steamboat meal full of nutritious foods and tonics prepared with Chinese herb medicines. Choosing the appropriate Chinese medicine could warm the stomach and supply blood and chi to recuperate the body and constitution. It could also effectively increase the bodys ability to resist the cold weather. The people are reminded not to blindly eat in excess food prepared with Chinese herb medicines. If any discomfort occurs, formal medical care should be sought. The public is advised not to listen to false advertising or purchase products from unknown sources to avoid cost and harm to the body. During the Chinese New Year holiday, the people should be aware of their own constitutions when taking the Chinese herbal tonics. For those with a regular lifestyle and balanced nutrition, a slightly more healthy regimen would be adequate. If eating too much without understanding ones own constitution, it is not only unhelpful but may cause ulcers in the mouth, chest tightness, abdominal bloating or aggravate chronic illnesses. All domestic Chinese medicine plants have implemented the GMP system with maturing pharmaceutical technology. The field of Chinese Medicine has also improved continuously so that a more comprehensive medical care system could be established for Chinese Medicine. At present, there are more than 2,500 Chinese Medicine clinics in the country and most of them are covered by the National Health Insurance, making it convenient for the public to seek medical treatment. Therefore, the people are called to seek proper medical care when falling ill, and not taking traditional folk prescriptions or listening to exaggerated and illegal advertising, so as not to delay treatment and endanger their own health. Products from unknown sources should not be taken but discarded immediately; it is unnecessary to send them for tests to avoid wasting money. The DOH cares for you. For people using Chinese herb medicine to nourish their health during the 9-day Chinese New Year holiday, please identify appropriate ways of nourishment and find qualified vendors to purchase the Chinese medicines that have complete package labels. In this way, the body will be nourished effectively with improved health. The DOH wishes peace and health for all!

We want a good life

駐點工程師 — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:02:58 GMT

According to the “2009 Adult Smoking Behavior Research”, smoking rates in adults decreased from 21.92% (38.57% males, 4.75% females) in 2008 to 19.99% (35.36% male, 4.19% females) in 2009 by about 0.3 million people. The Bureau of Health Promotion calls on all smokers to quit as soon as possible in order to live a better and healthier life. Pros of Smoke Cessation: 1. Live longer 2. Improved sense in smelling and taste buds 3. Rid the odor of cigarettes on your clothes and mouth 4. Show your care for friends and family by stop producing second-hand smoke 5. Improved functions of respiratory system and blood circulation 6. Reduce risks of lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer 7. Skin becomes softer and younger 8. Improved male sexual function 9. Help improve air quality 10. Save tons of money Cons of Smoking: 1. The mucosal cilia on the wall of trachea lose its ability to remove foreign residues along with smoking, thus worsening coughs and sputum formation. 2. Smoking triggers emphysema, lung malfunctioning, and lung tissue diseases. 80 to 90% of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are closely related to smoking. 3. Smoking triggers vasoconstriction and speeding heartbeat. Carbon Monoxide also affects the ability of blood to carry oxygen, which leads to increased concentration of cholesterol and free fatty acids. This increases the chances of cardiovascular atheromas. 4. Smoking pregnant women are with high chances of miscarriage, premature delivery, placental abruption, uterine infections, and underweight fetus. If the mother smokes during pregnancy, nicotine and Carbon Monoxide passes to the fetus through placenta, which could lead to retarded development, deformity, allergies, psychosis, or even sudden death syndrome. 5. Smokers have 10 times as much possibility to have lung cancer than non-smokers; 3 to 10 times for oral cancer, 2 to 9 times for esophageal cancer, 7 to 10 times for bladder cancer, and 2 to 5 times for pancreatic cancer. Smokers also have much higher chances to die from liver, esophageal, kidney, throat, and tongue cancers. 6. Smoking induces difficulties for fertilization, chances for menstrual cramp, abnormal vaginal bleeding, endometritis, early menopause, cervical cancer, and breast cancer. 7. Smoking induces gastric and duodenal ulcers. 8. Smoking makes skin age faster and produces spots, wrinkles, and thins skin. 5 Steps to Quit Smoking (data from the U.S. Department of Health) 1. Prepare well Set a special date as your first day. Redecorate your surroundings so ashtrays and cigarettes are absent from your daily life, and don’t allow anyone to smoke in front of you. Remember your mistakes and take initiative to refuse that “one more smoke”. 2. Build your own support circle Tell your family, friends, and co-workers that you’re quitting! Let them support you. Meantime, please seek professional help (like a family doctor, clinical cessation service, community cessation drug store, cessation sessions, or the cessation hotline 0800-636363). The more supporters you have and the more time devoted in consult, the more likely to get rid of smoking. 3. Rearrange for a new life Keep your schedule busy for other activities that break your regular smoking desires. Do things that reduce the anxiety, like a good hot bath, exercises, reading. Do things that make you happy, and drink lots of water and eat more fruit instead of caffeinated beverage. 4. Use drugs correctly: the right drugs help with at least doubled success rate. 5. Avoid reoccurrence or hardship Most reoccurrences take place within 3 months upon cessation. Set your mind to quit again. Chiang Kai-Shek tried 10 times before he succeeded. Please avoid the following: (1) Drinking leads to smoking, please try not to drink during quitting period. (2) Stay away from friends who smoke. (3) It is normal to gain some weight when trying to quit, but hardly ever over 5kg. Have a nice dieting balance and drink a lot of water for weight watching. (4) For mood swings or depression: please talk to your doctor to prescribe drugs for emotional instability. Helps for Smoke Cessation: To help the smokers, there are about 2,100 hospitals that provide clinical cessation services. Smokers receive professional consult and drugs that help with the addiction (such as patches, gums). The government grants each person NT$250 every week, which could be applied for at your nearest available hospital (find one near you at http://ttc.bhp.doh.gov.tw/quit/). For cessation hotline, call 0800-63-63-63 from a landline, public phone, or cell phone for free, Monday through Saturday, 09:00-21:00. A professional counselor will talk to you one-on-one to personalize your cessation plan. You could also help yourself, your family or your friends to quit using the internet. Useful websites include the “Tobacco Hazard Prevention Web” (http://tobacco.bhp.doh.gov.tw/), “Clinical Cessation Therapy Center Web” (http://ttc.bhp.doh.gov.tw/quit/), “Taiwan Smokers’ Helpline” (http://www.tsh.org.tw/), and “E-Quit” (http://www.e-quit.org/). See attachments for further information:
990213We_Want_A_Good_Life-Attachment.doc

Chinese New Year on Valentine’s Day –Don’t Forget Protection for Safe Sex

駐點工程師 — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:30 GMT

The first day of Chinese New Year happens to be Valentine’s Day this year. As the holiday ambience is getting around, the Center for Disease Control wants to remind everyone to practice safe sex. According to CDC/Taiwan’s data from December, 2009, there were a total of 18,378 AIDS patients in our country, among which 63.8% were spread through intercourse (41.1% homosexual, 22.7% heterosexual), and 34.4% were intravenous injections. It’s obvious that unsafe sex and needle sharing are the main routes to spread AIDS. 37.4% of AIDS patients fall between 20 to 29 years old, and 35.6% fall between 30 to 39 years old. What’s worthy of attention is that AIDS seems to be invading the younger crowd. A 17.7% increase was observed among the 15 to 24-year-olds in 2009 compared to the previous year. This demographic group also exhibited sexual activity as high as 91.8% among paths of spreading. Additionally, the CDC/Taiwan executed a research targeting males between 15 and 59 years old in November, 2009 – 46.0% had their first intercourse during age 20 to 29, 18.7% before age 19. However, 60.8% of them did not use contraceptive during their first intercourse experience, which apparently is something to be cautious about. Additionally, drug addicts’ sharing of needles is one of the primary causes of AIDS in Taiwan as well. Such issue has been dealt with gradually by the government’s “Drug Reduction Project”. However, AIDS cases continue to increase by edgy sexual behaviors like internet private parties, sex parties, and multiple sex partners. According to statistics, more than 20% of participants who attended the drug parties and sex parties that had been reported over the years had been contracted with AIDS. The Taiwan CDC states that, one could easily have improper sexual behavior under the influence of drugs, which increases the risks of contracting AIDS and other STDs. The Taiwan CDC reminds all to not have sex with anyone of unclear sexual history, and say no to drugs; it is only wise to refuse any sexual contact with anyone who cannot provide promising sexual safety or will not use protection. According to WTO, using proper contraceptives could segregate interstitial fluids (semen, vaginal secretion, or blood), and reduce chances of STDs to the lowest possible. Happy Valentine’s!