Page 80 - TAIWAN TOBACCO CONTROL ANNUAL REPORT 2019

78 3. Medical subsidies for rare diseases: (a) The Taiwan government has announced the "Rare Disease and Orphan Drug Act" in 2000, providing a safety net for both health insurance benefits and medical subsidies for rare diseases. The act included rare diseases categorized as catastrophic illnesses for health insurance benefits, in order to alleviate some medical burdens of the patients, provide medical subsidies that are not included in the National Health Insurance Act (including medical care subsidies, nutrition counseling, special nutritional foods, and emergency drugs), and improve the prevention and treatment of rare diseases, as well as the advocacy and education of patient support groups. In 2018, a total of 8,909 patients with rare diseases were provided with critical medical services. (b) As of the end of 2018, 220 types of rare diseases, 101 types of rare disease drugs, and 40 types of special nutritional foods for rare disease were announced. There were 15,467 patients involving rare diseases reported to be in need of medical care subsidies which are not included in the National Health Insurance Act. 2,914 patients were provided with medical care subsidies, and 1,382 patients were fully subsidized for special nutritional foods and emergency drugs. (c) 9 contracted units (subordinates of 8 medical centers) were entrusted to handle health care cases in accordance with the "Services for Patients with Anomalies Associated with Rare Genetic Diseases" in the 8 research projects of the "Rare Disease Prevention and Treatment Incentive Subsidies". We have organized 12 seminars of education and advocacy for the prevention and treatment of rare diseases, and subsidized the activities of patient support groups. (d) Medical subsidies that are not included in the subsidies for special disadvantaged groups and the National Health Insurance: I. Maternal GBS screening: According to the National Health Insurance Administration, the GBS screening service was provided for 7,700 women in January-June 2018, of which about 20.67% of pregnant woman tested positive for GBS bacteria. II. Newborn hearing screening: In 2017, 191,119 newborns were screened, with a successful screening rate of 98.3%, of which 798 newborns were diagnosed to have hearing loss and referred to follow-up treatment. In 2018, 175,816 newborns were screened, with a successful screening rate of 98%. 4. Enhancement of the quality of clinical medical care: (a) Incentives were provided for 199 hospitals responsible for emergency care to adopt programs for enhancement of the quality of emergency treatment and medical referral and plan 14 emergency care and medical referral networks. In 2018, a total of 56,490 emergency care patients were transferred by responsible hospitals in the context of the program. The registration rates of mutual referral between Emergency Departments and Intensive Care Units were 99.6% and 93.6% respectively. Subsidies and allowances were provided for one-year training programs for 2,382 resident physicians engaged in the fields of internal and external medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, and emergency care. The recruitment and retention rate of resident physicians rose significantly. In addition, guidance was provided for organ procurement networks in 4 regions. The number of organ (including tissues) donors reached 327 in 2018. The continued establishment of nationwide eye banks is subsidized and cornea collection and testing operations are implemented. 537 cornea donations were made in 2018. The cornea inspection rate reached 100%.