The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) has expanded National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage of telemedicine services to include divisions of cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology and pulmonology starting this month, in a change that is expected to benefit nearly 800,000 people.
The NHIA last year started covering telemedicine services used by people living in mountainous areas and on outlying islands amid increased need during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the coverage was limited to divisions of ophthalmology, dermatology and medicine focused on conditions of the head and neck, as well as emergency treatment.
The administration’s plan increases the amount allocated for telemedicine from NT$100 million
REACHING OUT: The NHIA increased the amount allocated for providers offering telemedicine from NT$100 million last year to NT$170 million to aid more TaiwaneseBy Lin Hui-chin and Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) promotion of preventive biotechnology in agriculture over the past few years has not only helped the environment, but also improved harvest yield and quality, and enabled farmers to save on expenses, the agency said.
Overuse of fertilizer has led to excessive concentrations of phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium in the soil, made nutrients unable to be absorbed by crops and is the main source of nutrient pollution in waterways, the EPA said.
The agency began developing biocoal and biofertilizers in 2019 in collaboration with National Taiwan University, and found that they could help farmers reduce fertilizer use by