President Tsai said during her meeting with the SNQ award winners that the government has relaxed the restrictions on investment in corporates from healthcare groups, hoping that the research results of medical institutions will enter the market faster for use through commercial models, helping medical institutions to have more resources to lead the development of new technologies.
IBMI announced yesterday that the 25th Symbol of national Quality (SNQ) award winners included two golds, seven silvers and 19 bronzes, with a total of 28 medical teams and products standing out from the rest. President Tsai met SNQ award winners on 17 April.
According to Mr. Jin-Pyng Wang, Chairman of IBMI, the award-winning projects include those that overturn past treatment guidelines and procedures that are the first of their kind in the world, which are examples of Taiwan's world-leading experience and will serve as models for international exchange and learning in the future.
Among this year's winners, NTU Hospital won the Gold Award for the treatment of AADC deficiency, and NTUH's Department of Medical Genetics was the first in the world to develop a gene therapy procedure for AADC deficiency in the basal nucleus of the brain.
NTU Hospital Superintendent Dr. Ming-Shiang Wu said that this treatment has not only been cited in the Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, but NTUH is also accepting overseas doctors to study in Taiwan and assist other countries in establishing screening platforms for AADC deficiency. In the future, through the SNQ Award, there will be a system to further expand medical experience internationally and allow more medical innovations to develop in Taiwan.
A system for critical care dubbed "Zoe", developed by Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) with seven years of accumulated data and more than 7,000 records, won the Silver Award. The system is designed to predict the course of illness and assist in decision-making for high-risk patients such as respiratory critical illness, septic shock, renal critical illness and sedation delirium.
According to Dr. Shih-Ann Chen, Superintendent of TVGH, last year the BTC followed the recommendations made by IBMI through its forums on digital transformation, and the healthcare sector will fully cooperate with the government's transformation strategy and guidelines to promote Taiwan as the paradigm of global cooperation in digital and smart healthcare.
Pfizer Taiwan netted the Gold in the Pharmaceuticals category for its Paxlovid. Pfizer's President, Cellina Yeh, believes that Taiwan's strong medical capabilities make it the most trusted partner for international pharmaceutical companies, and that Pfizer is continuing to invest in 40-50 clinical trials in Taiwan each year to continue to cultivate Taiwan and benefit Taiwanese citizens.
ASUSTeK, which has a strong reputation for technology, has in recent years been working hard in the medical field and this year won the Bronze Award in the medical device category with its wireless 128-ch ultrasound. The company hopes to drive the Taiwan health industry to compete in the international market with its high quality and high technology advantages.
