Mineralnye Vody: 5ème destination Pegasus en Russie,Les hôtels

De betaalbare beoordeling van
gezondheidstechnologie
in
Taiwan: Een model voor landen
met gemiddeld inkomen
Met de lancering van de Nationale Ziekteverzekering (NZV) in
1995 verwezenlijkte Taiwan zijn doelstelling om universele
gezondheidszorg te verschaffen voor 99,9% van de bevolking,
met inbegrip van gevangenen. De NZV geeft patiënten toegang
tot een ruim gamma van zorg, gaande van westerse
geneesmiddelen tot traditionele Chinese geneeskunde. Dit
initiatief liep ver voor op zijn tijd, aangezien de NZV reeds
geïmplementeerd was voor de World Health Assembly (WHA) in
2005 de resolutie WHA58.33 aannam, waarin landen worden
aangespoord om gezondheidsfinancieringssystemen te ontwikkelen
als onderdeel van inspanningen om de bevolking universele
gezondheidszorg aan te bieden.
De resolutie WHA58.33 roept onder meer op tot de oprichting
van programma’s voor gezondheidszorg die een gelijke toegang
tot gezondheidszorg bieden voor allen. Behandelingen moeten
betaalbaar zijn voor iedereen, hetgeen het systeem van
gezondheidszorg onder druk zet om de kosten onder controle te
houden. Hiervoor begon Taiwan in 2007 met Beoordelingen van
Gezondheidstechnologieën (BGT) om de haalbaarheid van nieuwe
geneesmiddelen in het NZV-programma te bepalen. In 2011 werden
de BGT uitgebreid tot medische apparatuur, en dit jaar werden
ook medische diensten opgenomen in de beoordelingen. Deze
beoordelingen worden gebruikt om het beheer van de NZV bij te
staan in beslissingen omtrent terugbetaling.
Na het bestuderen van BGT-agentschappen in Australië, Canada
en het V.K., richtte het Taiwanese Ministerie voor Gezondheid
en Welvaart het Nationaal Instituut voor Beoordelingen van
Gezondheidstechnologieën (NIBGT) op, een onafhankelijke
medische non-profitorganisatie die BGT uitvoert los van de
overheid en producenten.
Van 2007 tot 2013 hebben NZV-werkgroepen en het NIBGT het
beheer van de NZV geholpen bij het beoordelen van 204 nieuwe
geneesmiddelen, 38 baanbrekende geneesmiddelen en 8 medische
apparaten, en hebben ze 108 adviezen verstrekt aan
producenten.
Het NIBGT neem actief deel in globale en regionale
organisaties om institutionele ontwikkeling en uitwisseling
van ervaringen te promoten. Zo was het instituut bijvoorbeeld
een van de stichtende leden van HTAsiaLink, een netwerk
opgericht in 2011 om samenwerking tussen BGT-agentschappen in
Azië te ondersteunen. Vandaag de dag is het NIBGT ook lid van
de Internationale Vereniging voor Farma- economie en
Resultaatonderzoek
(ISPOR)
en
Beoordeling
van
Gezondheidstechnologieën Internationaal. Het instituut speelde
een doorslaggevende rol in de komst van de ISPOR Azië
Conferentie naar Taipei in 2012 en de aanstaande jaarlijkse
HTAsiaLink conferentie in Taiwan in 2015.
De ervaring van Taiwan met BGT heeft aangetoond dat er
uitstekende resultaten verkregen kunnen worden met een
jaarlijks budget dat aanzienlijk lager is dan dat wat veel
westerse landen spenderen. Voor landen met een gemiddeld
inkomen die een BGT-kader willen uitbouwen, is Taiwans NIBGT
een goed voorbeeld.
Le
coût
modéré
de
l’évaluation des technologies
de la santé à Taïwan, un
modèle
pour
les
pays
à
revenus moyens
Avec le lancement du programme de l’Assurance santé nationale
(NHI) en 1995, Taïwan est parvenu à son objectif de couverture
santé universelle couvrant 99,9% de la population, y compris
les détenus. La NHI donne accès à des services de santé et des
traitements de qualité, en médecine occidentale et chinoise.
Avec cette initiative, on peut dire que Taïwan était en avance
sur son temps dans ce domaine. L’Assemblée générale de la
santé (AMS), n’a adopté qu’en 2005 une résolution (AMS58.33)
dans laquelle elle exhorte les nations à développer des
systèmes de financement de la santé dans le cadre de leurs
efforts pour fournir à leurs populations une couverture santé
universelle.
Entre autres choses, la résolution AMS58.33 appelle à la
création de programmes de couverture santé universelle offrant
un accès égal aux ressources de santé pour tous. Pour que les
traitements restent abordables, il faut un strict contrôle des
coûts au sein des programmes de couverture santé universelle.
Dans cette optique, Taïwan a commencé à réaliser des
évaluations des technologies de la santé (ETS) dès 2007, afin
de déterminer le rapport coût/efficacité des nouveaux
médicaments dans le contexte financier du système de la NHI.
Les ETS ont été étendus aux appareils médicaux en 2011 et aux
services médicaux en 2014. Les évaluations sont utilisées pour
aider l’Agence de la NHI (NHIA) dans ses choix de
remboursement.
Après une étude du fonctionnement des ETS en Australie, au
Canada et en Grande-Bretagne, le ministère de la Santé et des
Affaires sociales de Taïwan a établi un Institut national de
l’évaluation des technologies de la santé (NIHTA), une
organisation indépendante à but non lucratif qui conduit les
ETS à l’écart de toute influence des agences gouvernementales
et de l’industrie pharmaceutique.
Entre 2007 et 2013, les groupes de travail chargés des ETS et
le NIHTA ont aidé la NHIA à évaluer 204 nouveaux médicaments,
38 traitements inédits et huit appareils médicaux, et ils ont
aussi fourni des conseils aux laboratoires pharmaceutiques à
108 reprises.
Le NIHTA participe activement aux activités des organisations
mondiales et régionales avec lesquelles il partage son
expérience. Par exemple, l’institut a été l’un des membres
fondateurs d’HTAsiaLink, un réseau créé en 2011 pour soutenir
la collaboration entre les agences chargées des ETS en Asie.
Aujourd’hui, le NIHTA est aussi membre de la Société
internationale de pharma-économie et de recherche sur les
résultats (ISPOR) et de Health Technology Assessment
International. L’institut a ainsi joué un rôle-clé dans
l’organisation à Taipei de la Conférence de l’ISPOR pour
l’Asie-Pacifique en 2012 ainsi que dans celle de la conférence
annuelle d’HTAsiaLink qui aura lieu à Taïwan en 2015.
L’expérience des ETS de Taïwan a montré que des résultats
remarquables peuvent être obtenus avec un budget annuel très
inférieur à ceux des systèmes d’évaluation mis en place dans
de nombreux pays occidentaux. Pour les pays à revenus moyens
qui cherchent à construire un cadre d’évaluation des
technologies de santé, le NIHTA de Taïwan est donc un
excellent modèle.
Taiwan girls’ team wins World
Junior
Tennis
qualifying
match
From left: Chen Pei-hsuan, Cho I-hsuan and Lee Yang.
New Delhi, May 3 (CNA) A Taiwanese girls’ team will represent
Asia and Oceania in the World Junior Tennis competition after
winning a qualifying match Saturday in New Delhi.
The Taiwanese team from Taipei’s Xin Xing Junior High School
and Anding Elementary School in Tainan defeated China at the
qualifying finals in two straight singles events — enough to
qualify the three-girl team as the winners, according to
tournament rules.
Xin Xing Junior High student Chen Pei-hsuan scored the first
win 7-5, 6-3, while her schoolmate Cho I-hsuan overpowered her
Chinese opponent to win 6-0, 6-1.
Chen, Cho and Lee Yang, who did not get a chance to compete,
will move on to the International Tennis Federation World
Junior Tennis Finals in August in the Czech Republic.
Taiwan’s boys’ team, made up of Su Yu-hsiang from Huatan
Junior High in Changhua County, Ho Cheng-jui from Jhengsing
Junior High in Kaohsiung, and Su Chin-yi from Xintai Junior
High in New Taipei, were also qualified after beating New
Zealand in a tournament held April 21-26 in India.
The ITF World Junior Tennis Tournament first took place in
1991. In order to reach the finals, every nation, with the
exception of the host country, must win through regional
qualifying rounds.
(By Ho Horn-ru and Maia Huang)
ENDITEM/WH
Taiwan to launch Formosa
Stock Index on May 5
Taipei, May 2 (CNA) The Taiwan
Stock Exchange (TWSE) said Friday it will launch the Formosa
Stock Index on May 5, in collaboration with the GreTai
Securities Market (GTSM), to gauge the performance of both the
main board and the over-the-counter market.
“The index can let people from home and abroad have a complete
and wholesome idea of Taiwan’s securities market,” Chen Shinchung, a senior vice president at TWSE, said at a press
conference in Taipei.
The Formosa Stock Index will have a total of 1,506
constituents, 843 from the main board and 663 from the OTC
market that are currently operated by the GTSM, according to
the TWSE.
The combined index will be calculated based on share prices on
the two exchanges on Dec. 31, 2013, with a base index of
10,000 points.
Taiwan’s financial authorities can also use the index as
reference for future policies, Chen said, adding that the
index can also provide another option for financial products.
The launch of the new index follows the lead of other regional
markets, with the aim of greater internationalization of the
local equity markets, the TWSE said.
China, Japan and South Korea all have similar indexes, such as
the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index, the JPX-Nikkei Index 400,
and KRX 100 Index, the TWSE said.
It said it will work with the GTSM and international index
providers to set a criteria for picking certain stocks on the
main board and OTC market to launch new indexes.
These will comprise a smaller group of constituents, but will
be able to provide different indications to investors, the
TWSE said.
(By Frances Huang and James Lee)
ENDITEM/cs
Yachts
mass
for
Kaohsiung
Boat Show
Taipei, May 2 (CNA) The luxury
yacht Horizon RP110 was lifted from the water in Kaohsiung
Harbor Friday and transported to the Kaohsiung Exhibition
Center in preparation for the launch of the Taiwan
International Boat Show 2014 in southern Taiwan that kicks off
May 8.
The four-day show, Taiwan’s first international boat show,
will exhibit 60 boats with a combined market value of NT$7
billion (US$233 million). The 33.5-meter, 100-tonne Horizon
RP110 will be the biggest one on display, according to
officials from Kaohsiung City’s Marine Bureau.
The vessel was built by the Horizon Group, the leading Taiwanbased luxury yacht builder and the only Asian company among
the top 10 brands of the global luxury yacht market.
The show will provide an exceptional opportunity for visitors
to see various yachts, either at sea from a ferry or by
purchasing tickets to enter the indoor exhibition center,
Kaohsiung Marine Bureau Director Lai Jui-lung said.
According to a report carried in the Financial Times last
July, Taiwan overtook Germany to become the world’s sixthlargest yachtmaker. Yet sales are much lower than before the
2008 financial crisis. Production at yards in Taiwan reached
just US$148 million in 2012, down from US$357 million in 2008.
Most of the world’s top yacht makers capitalize on the fact
that they are European by trading on their nations’ famous
histories in seafaring and design. However, the Financial
Times quoted a market research firm as saying that Taiwanese
boat builders have seen their reputations improve over time.
The Taiwan International Boat Show is one of just three luxury
yacht shows that are exhibited indoors, besides Boot
Dusseldorf and the Genoa International Boat Show, according to
Chuang Ming-liao, a board member of the Taiwan Yacht Industry
Association.
(By Wang Shu-fen and Kuo Chung-han)
ENDITEM/J
Ministry neither confirms nor
denies talk of first lady’s
Japan trip
First lady Chou Mei-ching (standing / CNA file photo).
Taipei, May 1 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs neither
confirmed nor denied Thursday whether first lady Chow Meiching will visit Japan for upcoming events centered on the
exhibition of treasured Chinese artifacts belonging to Taiwan,
saying only that the relevant activities are still in the
planning stage.
The ministry also dismissed a report that Chow will visit
Fukushima Prefecture, the area still recovering from the 2011
earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear meltdown.
Taiwan and Japan are still discussing the details of the
exhibition of collections from Taiwan’s National Palace Museum
(NPM) in Japan for the first time, said ministry spokeswoman
Anna Kao, adding that the museum is in charge of arranging
related events.
Kao’s remarks were a response to a report in online news
outlet Storm Media earlier in the day that said Chow will
attend the opening ceremony of the exhibition at the Tokyo
National Museum in June, the first time she has been linked to
activities related to the exhibition.
The NPM, one of the world’s largest depositories of imperial
Chinese art and artifacts, has signed an agreement with two
Japanese museums to lend collections on a reciprocal basis.
It will exhibit 231 artifacts at the Tokyo museum from June 24
to Sept. 15 and later in the year at the Kyushu National
Museum from Oct. 7 to Nov. 30, while the NPM’s southern branch
in Chiayi County is set to display 150 artifacts from the two
Japanese museums in 2016.
Kao also brushed off Storm Media’s report that the first lady
would visit Fukushima in northeast Japan, saying that the
ministry planned no such itinerary.
The possibility of Chow visiting Fukushima caused a stir in
the local media at a time of heated debate over the fate of
Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant.
Amid a series of antinuclear protests, the administration of
President Ma Ying-jeou decided not to activate the plant’s
first reactor when safety inspections wrap up and to stop work
on the second reactor. The question of whether the plant
should be put into operation in the future has been put off to
a national referendum at an undetermined date.
(By Tang Pei-chun and Elaine Hou)
ENDITEM/WH
Halting 4th nuclear plant may
have lasting consequences:
experts
Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Halting the
construction of Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant will have
little effect on the country’s manufacturing sector in the
short term, experts said Thursday, but they cautioned that it
could have a negative influence in the long run.
Taiwan’s manufacturing activity has not yet been affected by
the dispute over the power plant, but the potential for future
power shortages or electricity rationing will likely
discourage local and foreign investment, said Wu Chung-shu,
president of the Taipei-based Chung-Hua Institution for
Economic Research
“We really need practical discussion about such issues,
including the recent protests against the fourth nuclear power
plant and a trade-in-services agreement with China,” Wu said
during a press conference held by the think tank in which it
said Taiwan’s manufacturing activity continued to signal
moderate expansion in April despite a drop in the purchasing
managers index.
“We should avoid political and emotional discussion and refer
to the experiences of other countries,” he said.
The economist urged the government to draft an energy policy
based on pertinent analysis after weighing the pros and cons
of the power plant. “Never ignore the balance between costs
and efficiency,” he added.
It will take time for Taiwan, which relies on imports for 98
percent of its fossil fuel, to move toward becoming nuclearfree, Wu said, adding that the public should consider which is
riskier — operating the fourth nuclear plant or extending the
lifespans of the three existing plants.
Kamhon Kan, an economics researcher at Academia Sinica,
Taiwan’s top research institute, echoed Wu’s opinion, saying
that the public should consider if scrapping the nuclear power
plant and the service trade pact with China can allow Taiwan
to maintain economic growth.
Meanwhile, Steve Lai, executive director of the Supply
Management Institute in Taiwan, also urged the protesters to
be aware that energy costs in Taiwan play a critical role in
the nation’s production competitiveness.
Construction of the fourth plant’s nearly completed no. 1 and
no. 2 reactors has been halted. The no. 1 reactor, which is
currently undergoing safety inspections, will not be brought
online once the inspections are complete, according to the
government.
The Executive Yuan has also promised to convene a national
energy conference as soon as possible “to ensure there will be
no cause for worry over future power supplies.”
The opposition parties and anti-nuclear groups have increased
their pressure on the administration since April and have been
demanding that the project be scrapped altogether to avoid the
danger of radioactive pollution.
(By James Lee)
ENDITEM/J
Denuclearization
may
hit
Taiwan’s corporate profits:
Credit Suisse
Taipei,
May
1
(CNA)
The
government’s decision to halt construction of Taiwan’s fourth
nuclear power plant may affect the country’s corporate profits
as electricity rates are likely to rise, according to Swiss
bank Credit Suisse Group AG.
Amid mounting public pressure, the Taiwan government announced
April 27 that it had decided to suspend construction of the
controversial fourth nuclear power plant until a referendum on
the continued use of nuclear power is held.
A date has not yet been decided but the referendum could be
held as early as November alongside the local government
elections or may delayed until the 2016 presidential election,
according to Credit Suisse.
“This decision to halt construction of the fourth nuclear
power plant is perhaps the best near-term solution for the
market as this may fend off immediate political pressure,
while keeping the nuclear power option open for Taiwan,”
Credit Suisse analysts Chung Hsu and Michelle Chou said in an
April 28 note.
The three active nuclear power plants account for roughly 18
percent of Taiwan’s power supply, and without the new power
plant, Taiwan would need to increase its reliance on
alternative and costlier ways of power generation, the
analysts said.
The fourth nuclear plant was intended to replace one of the
three nuclear power plants that will be decommissioned between
2018 and 2025, they noted.
In phasing out nuclear power, Taiwan may face a 10-15 percent
increase in electricity rates in 2018 when the first nuclear
power plant is scheduled to be shut down, and another 10-15
percent rise in 2021 when the second plant is retired, the
analysts said.
They estimated that corporate profits in Taiwan would drop 3
percent on average for every 10 percent increase in the cost
of electricity.
The industrial and non-tech sectors, including retail and
steel, could be the hardest hit, they said. Within the tech
sector, printed circuit board (PCB) businesses would be most
heavily affected, they added.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has projected a 40 percent
increase in Taiwan’s electricity rates if the nearly completed
fourth nuclear power plant is not put into operation and the
three operating nuclear plants are retired in favor of natural
gas power generation.
(By Jeffrey Wu)
ENDITEM/ pc
HTC chairwoman ranked as one
of world’s most influential
entrepreneurs
Taipei, April 30 (CNA) American
cable TV network CNBC has named Cher Wang, chairwoman of
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp., as one of the most
influential persons in the business world over the past 25
years.
On the CNBC First 25 list unveiled Tuesday in the United
States, the network named 25 people deemed to have had the
most profound impact on business and finance since 1989, in
celebration of the network’s 25th anniversary.
The 25 people “have disrupted industries, sparked change and
exercised an influence far beyond their own companies,” the
network said on its website.
CNBC said it now faces a world completely altered from when
the network first started in 1989.
The 25 men and women listed — from different parts of the
world and across different industries — “have, for better or
worse, been the rebels, icons and leaders in the vanguard of
that change,” it said.
Wang, ranked No. 22, was the only Taiwanese entrepreneur on
the list.
She is “one of the most powerful women in technology, and the
most powerful in wireless, isn’t based in Silicon Valley but
on the other side of the Pacific Ocean,” CNBC said.
Her company at one point made one in every six smartphones
sold in the U.S. but is now battling a perilous sales slump,
the network said.
On the list, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs earned the top
spot for “both transforming the way we think about technology
and redefining the style in which we live.” Microsoft Corp.
founder Bill Gates was ranked second, followed by former U.S.
Federal Reserve Chairmen Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan.
In an e-mailed response, Wang told CNA that the recognition
belongs to all her colleagues at HTC and that she appreciates
people’s support of her company.
She said HTC has been devoted to innovation in order to bring
the best smartphones to global consumers, thanks to the
leadership of CEO Peter Chou.
Shares of HTC, which have posted operating losses for three
consecutive quarters, closed up 1.31 percent at NT$155
(US$5.13) Wednesday in Taipei. The company is scheduled to
release its latest quarterly results in an earnings conference
call on May 6.
(By Jeffrey Wu)
ENDITEM /pc
Acer
unveils
new
2-in-1
notebook, tablets in New York
Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Taiwan’s
Acer Inc. has launched a lineup of consumer PCs to cater to
back-to-school demand in the United States amid a sluggish
global PC market.
The nine new products unveiled Tuesday at a press conference
in New York included the Aspire Switch 10 — Acer’s first 2in-1 hybrid device combining a laptop and tablet — as well as
two new 7-inch Iconia tablets, Aspire E Series notebooks and
all-in-one desktop PCs.
The event also marked the first appearance at a global event
by Jason Chen since he joined the company in January as Acer’s
CEO and corporate president.
“Acer has built its reputation by putting personal computing
in the hands of the many and making technology accessible for
more people,” Chen said in a press release.
“Today we demonstrate how our products are the best example
yet of this mission — how we are using technology to create
better connections between people and their information and
bringing happiness to more people,” he said.
The Aspire Switch 10 combines a notebook and a tablet in one
flexible device that is suitable for touch input, typing,
viewing and sharing files.
It is touted by Acer as one of the thinnest 2-in-1 devices on
the market and features a 10.1-inch display with a resolution
of 1366 x 768 pixels, up to 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, and
an Intel Atom Bay Trail T quad-core processor.
The Aspire Switch 10 will be available in late May in Pan
America at US$379.99 and in Europe, Middle East and Africa
regions at 349 euros.
“The market is experiencing explosive growth in the 2-in-1
category, and Acer has been a leading innovator,” said Peter
Han, vice president of Worldwide OEM Marketing at Microsoft
Corp.
“We are looking forward to partnering with Acer on the launch
of their new Acer Aspire Switch, which will provide customers
with a great Windows 8.1 experience for both touch and
keyboard,” Han said.
(By Jeffrey Wu)
ENDITEM/ls