Development and Current Situation of Comprehensive Check-up in Taiwan

Abstract

 The history of comprehensive health check-ups in Taiwan dates back to 1956, when the National Taiwan University Hospital initiated a six-day in-hospital health check-up service. Initially, only the wealthy and influential could afford such services.

 With economic growth, improved national education, and the media's promotion of health awareness, more people began to invest in health check-ups. Consequently, more medical institutions established specialized health check-up departments.

 Advancements in medical technology and efficient management have significantly shortened the duration of comprehensive health check-ups from several days of hospitalization to a single day. Additionally, the range of available check-up items has expanded.

 Following the launch of national health insurance in 1996, hospital profit margins were considerably reduced. This shift prompted hospitals to explore business opportunities in the self-paid health check-up market, leading to the development of specialized services. Examples include luxurious hotel-style services, Japanese-style health check-up processes, painless endoscopy, positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations.

 In recent years, there has been a growing trend of incorporating artificial intelligence and precision medicine into health check-up processes and services. This speech will share the development and current status of comprehensive check-up services in Taiwan.