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Taiwan and WHO

As a leading proponent of a global health forum, the Republic of China (Taiwan) had been the World Health original member for 24 years since the first World Health Assembly convened in 1948.

In the early 1960s when Taiwan was still a poor country, many international organizations such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, USAID, and the Rockefeller Foundation had generously helped Taiwan eradicate malaria, control tuberculosis, and promote healthcare for mothers and children.

The success of these programs enabled Taiwan in later years to dispatch some 70 experts to the World Health Organization to offer Taiwan's experiences to other countries.

However, in 1971 Taiwan was unjustly forced to leave the United Nations and subsequently all UN affiliated organizations such as the WHO when the People's Republic of China was admitted to the UN. Since its withdrawal from the World Health Organization in 1972, Taiwan has been completely isolated from the international healthcare community.

Since then, health officials and medical professionals in Taiwan have experienced great difficulties taking part in WHO forums and workshops concerning the latest technologies in the diagnosis, monitoring and control of disease. Taiwan's non-member status, due to complex and very rare international political factors, has made participation problematic. Nevertheless the welfare of Taiwan's people should override political interests.