Taiwan --- hypochondriac nation?

 

Taiwan --- hypochondriac nation?

The daily expenditure on medicine for patients on the National Health Insurance program has exceeded NT$250 million, according to statistics released by the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) (Dec. 13, 1999).

The figure has almost doubled over the past four years following the launch of the program in 1995, said a BNHI spokesperson. The BNHI estimates that the annual expenditure on medicine will top NT$90 billion by the end of this year, with prescription costs already totaling NT$76.9 billion from January to October this year (1999) prescription costs for the first year of the program in 1995 came to an estimated NT$54 billion, NT$60 billion and NT$70 billion from 1996 to 1998 respectualy.

The huge daily prescription costs indicate that Taiwan's patients obtain excessive prescriptions for their aliments, said the spokesperson. He said that the medication often goes to waste as many patients never finish the course, adding that some doctors prescribe a placebo for their patients.

Why Taiwanese people acted as psychosomatic reaction, like this?
A. Military threat from Beijing.
B. Independence and reunification problems.
C. Nerve in business and make money.
D. Anxiety on the issue of Taiwanese future.

 

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