1. The Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (hereinafter known as the department in the text) has drawn up these principles to certify cervical pathology diagnostic units.

2. The certificate approval committee members are to include invited experts and related business executives or associations that the department appoints or authorizes.

3. The approval procedures include written applications and on-the-spot inspections. A unit that is approved will be awarded a certificate indicating it is an approved cervical pathology diagnostic unit. See appendix 1 for the relevant regulations.

4. Cervical pathology diagnostic units shall carry out the following tasks:
(1) According to stipulated deadlines and formats, report individual case information to academic research institutes that the department authorizes, including all information about national health insurance, disease prevention and health care, diagnostic smears and treatment, self-payment and government subsidies etc.
(2) Every two to three years, cervical pathology diagnostic units shall undergo a follow-up assessment, and the related regulations are described in appendix 2.
(3) Any changes in head physicians, smear-testing doctors or technicians should be reported to the department within two weeks from the date the changes occur. Staff information relating to filling the vacant positions should be submitted to the department within two months of the date the changes occur according to the regulations for follow-up assessment.
(4) If head physicians have left their job positions, it should be detailed how smear tests are to be processed during the open period waiting for the positions to be filled.

5. A certificate will be annulled in the following circumstances:
(1) The units do not report case information according to stipulated deadlines and formats, and the situation does not change after notification.
(2) A unit makes a serious mistake or fails in the follow-up assessment, and within one year, fails again in the required further assessment.
(3) A unit does not report changes of staff by the deadline for such a report.

6. Cervical pathology diagnostic units that are disqualified according to these principles may re-apply three months after the date of disqualification.