MOHW unveils plan to establish AI centers in hospitals

2024/10/09

Sixteen domestic hospitals have been granted subsidies by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to set up artificial intelligence centers, underscoring the government’s commitment to promoting smart medical care.

According to the MOHW, the project was announced July 23 this year and a total of 30 hospitals submitted 48 applications by the Aug. 1 deadline. Among the institutions selected are National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei City, Chang Gung Medical Hospital in the northern city of Taoyuan and Taichung Veterans General Hospital in the central metropolis.

The ministry said the plan covers three types of centers: responsible AI implementation centers, clinical AI verification centers and AI impact research centers.

The first type establishes operation protocols in compliance with the country’s information security and privacy protections, the MOHW said, adding that critical information such as AI models, data and performance will be disclosed to ensure reliability and transparency.

The second kind will accelerate the domestic certification of AI software via collaboration with the ministry’s Department of Information Management and Taiwan Food and Drug Administration. The verification process will test products with data sets representative of the local populace to confirm accuracy.

The final type will facilitate National Health Insurance coverage of AI tools and applications. An interagency mechanism will carry out assessments of costs to medical institutions and benefits for patients to help the NHI Administration establish a pricing system.

The project marks a major milestone in the development of smart health care in Taiwan, the MOHW said. The government will keep fostering a robust environment that encourages the adoption of cutting-edge technologies to lay a solid foundation for the sector’s continued development.


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