TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Medical experts are urging more government spending on healthcare and establishing a cancer fund that helps relieve the financial burden of patients.

According to a report released by the Health Promotion Administration in 2019, the latest data available, a new case of cancer was diagnosed every 4 minutes and 20 seconds in Taiwan. In 2021, 51,656 lives were claimed by malignant tumors, 28% of Taiwan's total deaths.

At the same time, Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program is facing insolvency risks, which is endangering subsidies for treating severe illnesses including cancers, wrote Liberty Times.

Limited resources mean low-income cancer patients may have fewer opportunities for early treatment. A poll showed that 75% of cancer patients in Taiwan have had to pay for care not covered by the NHI scheme and 25% of those at advanced stages have reported up to NT$1 million (US$32,578) in relevant expenses.

Chou Yiing-jeng (周穎政), a professor at the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University’s Institute of Public Health, proposed funding the use of costly new medicines for cancer patients, which enables earlier intervention and makes successful treatment more likely.

The government should also expand its investment in healthcare, he suggested. In 2019, health expenditures constituted 6.1% of Taiwan’s GDP, less than Japan’s 11% and South Korea’s 8.2%.