Premier Su approves disease prevention center plan

2020/04/15

A plan to build a disease prevention center in Taipei City was approved by Premier Su Tseng-chang April 10, spotlighting the government’s commitment to improving the country’s capacity to research and combat new diseases.
 
 Supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the center is set to be built in Nangang District’s Kunyang health park zone, with construction slated to start next year at a cost of NT$4 billion (US$130 million).
 
 The facility will comprise an administrative building and a laboratory complex housing seven biosafety level three containment laboratories, the second-highest protection ranking for work involving infectious diseases.
 
 According to the MOHW’s Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan’s National Health Command Center will be also located at the new facility.
 
 The CDC said the plan, which was initially drafted after the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, will strengthen Taiwan’s capability in the areas of testing, research and development of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals, while integrating the systems for monitoring acute, chronic and emerging infectious diseases.
 
 Cabinet spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said at a news conference April 12 that the center will centralize the management and allocation of resources like essential medical supplies and equipment for disease prevention. The budget for the center will not come from funds allocated for the country’s COVID-19 response, she added.
 
 Statistics from the CECC reveal 393 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan as of April 14, including six deaths. A total of 1,865,692 cases have been identified in 183 other countries and territories.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)