Taiwan health agency partners with Google on smart health tool

台灣衛生機構與Google合作開發智慧健康工具

AI tool to predict diabetes complications and provide personalized health advice


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Health Insurance Administration collaborated with Google to launch an AI-powered health tool designed to predict disease risk using big data.

National Health Insurance Administration Director Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said the tool will be integrated into the administration’s My Health Bank app, a digital health record platform that provides personal medical data such as outpatient visits, hospitalizations, prescriptions, vaccinations, and health screenings, per CNA.

The tool will be used to predict the risk of potential complications based on diabetes-related symptoms, Shih said. It will also offer personalized lifestyle recommendations and guide users to real-person services when necessary. The service is scheduled to launch between July and August.

Speaking Friday at the Google Cloud Summit, Deputy Health Minister Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said that more than two million people in Taiwan have diabetes, with medical expenses for the disease accounting for 6.17% of the National Health Insurance budget. She hopes that this collaboration will help slow the prevalence of diabetes in the nation.

According to the administration, more than seven million individuals in Taiwan are living with two or more chronic illnesses. National Health Insurance spending on chronic diseases exceeds NT$360 billion (US$11.1 billion), accounting for 40% of total healthcare expenditures.

Shih added that the administration also plans to expand the AI-powered tool with additional functions to predict the onset of chronic diseases. This system will incorporate family medical history and health examination data to improve the accuracy of early detection.

Shih emphasized that personal data used in the app is for medical purposes and requires user authorization and cybersecurity approval. Google provides computing power for data processing, with all personal data stored at Google’s data center in Changhua.

Last year, the health ministry launched a program targeting high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high fats in the blood, aiming to include 80% of Taiwan’s chronic disease patients in a care network by 2030. Shih added that the program will place greater emphasis on prevention and lifestyle improvement.