Amend Regulations for Rare Diseases

The Government amended “Regulations Governing Subsidies for Medical and Healthcare Expenses for Rare Diseases”(罕見疾病醫療照護費用補助辦法) focuses on enhancing the diagnosis and medical subsidizations, such as to raise the diagnosis and treatments subsidies, increase household medical facilities, and expand the subsidies of nutritional counseling fees for metabolic diseases patients and domestic diagnostic tests. While, the special formula which was free before now charged co-payment to avoid unnecessary waste of medical resources.

It has been 20 years since 2000 the implementation of Rare Disease and Orphan Drug Act. Despite it has been amended during this period, there were still insufficiencies. Striving for more rights and protections for the patients, TFRD started to advocate the amendment proactively in 2010. It received supports from many legislators and eventually passed in Legislative Yuan in 2010.

To follow up the Article 33 of the Act Revision in 2010 which aimed to promote subsidizations of medical behaviors, special formula, and household medical facilities, Ministry of Health and Welfare proposed the amendment of the Regulations as well.

Translator: Ellen Kuo (OI), Reviewer: Joy Yin