The Role of Health Centers in Non-Mountain Non-City Areas: Providing Essential Care and Services

2023-08-10 06:14:20

Have you ever received a call from the health center to “remind cancer screening and do a smear”? Or the first time you know regarding the health center because you can get the COVID-19 vaccine? After all, apart from health checkups and vaccinations, what is the difference between clinics and general clinics?

At the beginning of this year (2023), a news regarding a clinic doctor leaving attracted the attention of “Reporter” reporter Hao Min. He visited the whole Taiwan and found that there were 54 clinics in Taiwan where no doctors might be found. Most of these clinics are located in areas that are neither ultra-remote mountainous areas nor urban areas, commonly known as “non-mountain non-city” areas-although it may only take half an hour’s drive to go to the township medical center in the next village, but many local independent Elderly residents may have difficulty going out to seek medical treatment due to inconvenient transportation or poor economic conditions, so they need the services of resident physicians in health centers.

“In general clinics, the doctor sits there and waits for the patients to come, but the health center has to take the initiative to go out… We don’t just treat the disease, we need to be ahead of the disease.”

Huang Yijie, a physician who once worked in the health centers of Mingjian Township and Zhongliao Township, Nantou County, shared how the health center became the “health gatekeeper” for local residents. She and her nursing colleagues have also used services such as “on-site screening and on-site treatment”, mobile outpatient tours, etc. to increase the willingness of villagers to be treated and bring direct changes to high-risk areas of hepatitis C.

However, due to the limited salary and limited room for medical development, although the work is very meaningful and doctors have a sense of mission, the government has also launched incentive programs for staying in rural areas and public-funded physician programs, which still cannot stop health centers in “non-mountain and non-city” areas. Option for Physicians to Leave at Contract Expiry.

In this episode, in addition to seeing the importance of the health center to the residents from the frontline workers, we also listened to reporter Hao Min’s interview and observation, what would happen if the health center had no doctors? In addition to the government subsidy plan, how can the regional health centers in “non-mountain and non-city” make a move to break through on their own?

(Alex Reed｜Doctor Huang Yijie, “Reporter” reporter Huang Haomin; production team｜Fang Delin, Lan Wanzhen, Chen Sihua)

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