Taiwan is the biggest winner of this year’s ENSH Global Gold Level Forum Award for smoke-free healthcare services. Five out of the six winning hospitals came from Taiwan, said Shu-Ti Chiou (邱淑媞), Director-General of Bureau of Health Promotion on December 14th. Since the establishment of the smoke-free hospital network in Taiwan, first among Asia Pacific region in 2011, there has been 113 smoke-free hospitals and 2,151 medical care institutions which offer smoking cessation services.

The five winning hospitals were Cathay General Hospital, Jianan Mental Hospital, Taiwan Adventist Hospital, St. Martin De Porres Hospital, and Taiwan Landseed Hospital for their efforts and strong commitment of health care services in the field of tobacco control.

Up till August, 2012, more than 43,000 smokers - a growth rate of about 24% compared to the previous year - have sought smoking cessation aid at medical institutions. The 30.7% success quit rate is also higher than the 26.4% from last year.

According to Director-General Chiou, after the Department of Health in Taiwan launched the second-generation cessation trial program on March 1st, 2,151 hospitals have been offering cessation services. In addition, the program has been offering one-on-one and face-to-face smoking cessation counseling by health care professionals, particularly for pregnant women and adolescents, as of September 1st.

“The new program extended the coverage to smokers in the clinics in the hospitals. The program also reduced the amount of copayment to no more than NTD200(USD7), previously ranging from NTD550 (USD19) to NTD1,250 (USD43), to NTD250 (USD8.6). Those from low-income households are exempt from these copayments,” she emphasized.

According to the Bureau of Health Promotion, there were more than 80 hospitals qualified for this year’s ENSH Global Level Gold Forum Award, reflecting the quality of health care services and the emphasis on promoting the health of patients, families, employees and community.