To advance the elimination of Hepatitis C, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) hosted the “2024 International Conference on Elimination of Hepatitis C,” bringing together experts from Europe, the United States, Japan, Australia, and beyond. Guided by three key policy directions: “Therapy spear-heading prevention,” “Screening support therapy” and “Prevention securing outcomes.” Taiwan continues to achieve remarkable progress through expanded screening, National Health Insurance (NHI)-covered treatments, and strategic initiatives, moving closer to its ambitious goal of eliminating Hepatitis C by 2025.
A Cross-Sectoral Collaboration Towards the “Final Mile” of Elimination
Dr. Chiu Tai-Yuan, Minister of Health and Welfare emphasized that Hepatitis B and C remain significant public health challenges in Taiwan, with an estimated 11,000 deaths annually due to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. To eliminate Hepatitis C, Taiwan has adopted the core strategies of “Precision Public Health（精準公衛防治）,” “Localized care delivery（防治在地化）,” and “Continuum of care（防治一條龍）,” providing accurate, comprehensive, and effective screening and treatment services. Taiwan has included the treatment of Hepatitis C in its National Health Insurance coverage since 2003 and has progressively expanded public-funded screening and direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments. In 2024, the government increased the reimbursement for Hepatitis B and C screenings from NT200 (USD 6) to NT370 (USD 11) per case, further enhancing adult preventive healthcare services. As of June 2024, over 6.66 million individuals have undergone screening.
Taiwan is currently working towards achieving WHO certification for the elimination of Hepatitis C. Thanks to the collective efforts of medical experts, civil organizations, local health bureaus, and inter-sectoral cooperation at the all levels, Taiwan has reached the "final mile" in its journey to eliminate Hepatitis C. The goal is to surpass the WHO's 2030 global elimination target and overcome this critical public health challenge by 2025.
Held on December 12 at the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center, the “2024 International Conference on Elimination of Hepatitis C” opened with keynote speeches by former Vice President Dr. Chen Chien-Jen and Prof. Chien Rong-Nan of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, who detailed Taiwan’s significant policy milestones in hepatitis elimination. Prof. Philippa Easterbrook of Imperial College London and Dr. John Ward, Director of the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, shared insights into global and regional HCV elimination trends and outcomes.
Local experts, including President Yu Ming-Long of Kaohsiung Medical University, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Chen Chien-Hung of NTU Cancer Center, and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Hung Chien-Ching of NTU Yunlin Branch, presented strategies for addressing HCV among high-risk groups in Taiwan.
Also, Dr. Margaret Hellard, Deputy Director of the Burnet Institute, Dr. Tadashi Ikegami, Deputy Director of Tokyo Medical University Ibaraki Medical Center, Prof. Hu Tsung-Hui of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and Director-General Yeh Yen-Po of Changhua County Public Health Bureau, along with President Rachel Halford, President of the World Hepatitis Alliance; Ms. Jessica Hicks, Director of the World Hepatitis Alliance and Mr. Finn Jarle Rode, Executive Director of the Hepatitis Fund, shared practical experiences in HCV elimination at community and municipal levels.
Taiwan’s Commitment to Global Elimination
Director-General Wu Chao-Chun of the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) highlighted Taiwan’s strong performance against WHO’s programmatic indicators for HCV elimination, with diagnostic and treatment rates, blood safety, and injection safety already meeting the targets. Needle exchange programs for people who inject drugs are also approaching compliance. Director-General Wu expressed gratitude for the valuable recommendations provided by international experts and reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to achieving certification for HCV elimination by 2025. He extended an invitation to global experts to witness this milestone and reiterated Taiwan’s dedication to sharing its successful experiences to support global HCV elimination efforts.