TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has allocated about NT$2.4 billion (US$74 million) to bolster dental care in underserved rural areas, the ministry said Monday (Nov. 11).
As of August, 157 areas nationwide still lacked adequate dental services, while 55 townships and districts had no practicing dentists.
To address dental healthcare challenges in rural areas the MOHW will launch a three-year initiative starting next year. However, the plan has faced criticism.
An online petition launched in June argued against training unlicensed international dental graduates. It asserted that the focus should be on local resident needs.
The petition advocated excluding unlicensed dental students and graduates who have only passed the first stage of the national examination from the program. It also called for all qualified domestic dentists to be involved in the program.
The MOHW clarified that the plan will focus on recruiting licensed Taiwanese dentists. It will not involve bringing in international dental students.
The MOHW’s initiative for 2025 to 2027 aims to address this issue by:
- Deploying experienced dentists to rural areas (NT$770 million)
- Training and incentivizing new dentists to serve rural communities (NT$350 million)
- Supporting training hospitals to maintain their commitment to rural healthcare (NT$480 million)
- Equipping rural clinics with necessary facilities and incentives for dentists (NT$420 million)
- Providing outreach services to rural long-term care institutions (NT$340 million)
