Lai touts AI role in Taiwan medical services

賴總統力薦人工智慧在台灣醫療服務中的作用

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Taiwan’s healthcare system must move earlier in the disease cycle by using AI, digital tools, and laboratory science to put more weight on prevention.

Lai spoke in English on Saturday at the opening of the 2026 17th Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Medical Laboratory Science in Taichung, per CNA.

Taiwan’s population is aging rapidly, chronic disease is becoming more common, and extreme weather is adding pressure to public health planning, Lai said. The government’s “Healthy Taiwan” push aims to build a system to serve people of all ages in hospitals, communities, and other care settings.

The president said AI-assisted diagnosis, automated testing, and smarter laboratories could help medical teams identify risks sooner and offer more precise care, according to CNA. He said the government would expand investment in healthcare and use Taiwan’s strengths in high tech and biomedicine to improve services and support industry innovation.

Lai described medical laboratory science as central to that transition, saying testing specialists help guide early detection, diagnosis, risk assessment, and follow-up after treatment, per the report. Their work also supports precision medicine, public health, infection control, and the wider resilience of the medical system, he said.

He said the symposium’s focus on intelligence, sustainability, and resilience matches the direction healthcare systems must take, and called for deeper professional cooperation to protect public health and keep medical care sustainable.