Taipei: President Lai Ching-te announced on Sunday the approval of 197 subsidy programs valued at approximately NT$2.94 billion (US$93 million) to promote the adoption of ‘smart health care’ technologies by medical institutions. This initiative is part of the five-year NT$48.9 billion Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan, launched last year with the objective of enhancing medical services through advanced health care technologies.

According to Focus Taiwan, President Lai emphasized the importance of improving health outcomes, noting that while the average life expectancy in Taiwan is over 80 years, individuals spend an average of 8.4 years in poor health. This figure indicates that around 10 percent of the average lifespan is spent dealing with health issues, with some people requiring assistance such as wheelchairs or daily care. The government’s aim is to increase the duration of healthy living as life expectancy rises.

Discussing technology policy, Lai outlined the government’s ambition to train 500,000 artificial intelligence professionals by 2040. The National Center for High-performance Computing at Hsinchu Science Park is operational, and the national AI data center at Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City in Tainan is set to begin operations soon. The government is concentrating on developing three key technologies: silicon photonics, quantum computing, and robotics.

Furthermore, Lai highlighted plans to build an artificial intelligence ecosystem and create a software innovation and entrepreneurship platform with a Taiwan dollar output value in the trillions. He compared Taiwan’s semiconductor and ICT industry to a protective “mountain range” for the country, suggesting that the integration of health care and technology could offer similar benefits.