Taiwan tops Asia in palliative care

2015/10/12

Taiwan is No. 1 in Asia when it comes to providing care for the terminally ill, according to the latest Quality of Death Index released by U.K.-based Economist Intelligence Unit.

In the survey of 80 countries and territories, Taiwan moved up eight spots to sixth from the previous report in 2010, trailing only the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Belgium in that order. It ranked ahead of Singapore at 12th, Japan at 14th, South Korea at 18th and Hong Kong at 22nd.

Of the five major assessment categories, Taiwan improved to sixth in affordability of care, fifth in community engagement, fifth in palliative and health care environment and eighth in quality of care. It ranked ninth in newly added human resources.

According to EIU, Taiwan’s strong showing is attributed to factors like enhanced training for medical personnel in nonspecialist areas, increased access to affordable and quality palliative services, and strengthened community engagement.

“The availability of palliative services has steadily grown in recent years, with hospice programs increasing more than 50 percent to 77 programs during 2004 to 2012, and hospital-based palliative care teams multiplying from eight to 69,” the EIU said.

Government policies are vital for extending access to end-of-life care, EIU said, adding that Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system and a broader range of qualifying illnesses are key to providing such services.

EIU also highlighted efforts by the private sector in breaking down traditional taboos on discussing death through school education and changing patients’ mindset. Another positive is an emphasis on spiritual care as opposed to symptom management.

Other innovations cited by EIU include a nationwide campaign encouraging decisions such as “do not resuscitate,” an NHI card containing patient medical information, and a program for remote monitoring of palliative care using smartphones and tablets.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=237541&ctNode=2194&mp=9)