KUALA LUMPUR - Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) plans to expand eligibility for publicly funded HIV treatment for foreign nationals next year, although details of the policy have yet to be finalised.

CDC Director-General Philip Lo said on Monday last week that subsidy regulations are being revised to widen access for foreign residents, with initial priority given to permanent residents and those under 18, Taipei Times reported.

When asked how many additional foreign nationals could benefit from the expansion, the CDC said it was still assessing the potential impact and had “no clear figure yet”.

Under the current programme, the CDC covers HIV medication costs for a patient’s first two years, after which expenses are paid through the National Health Insurance (NHI) system.

As of late last month, 36,494 Taiwanese nationals and 615 foreigners in Taiwan were living with HIV, the CDC said on Friday.

Of the 615 foreign nationals, 343 were already covered by the NHI system, while the remainder have been on medication for less than two years and are not yet eligible for coverage.

Some foreign nationals who are not yet covered by NHI have received financial assistance through other means, the CDC said.

Patients receive highly active antiretroviral therapy, or “cocktail therapy”, combining two to three drugs, with monthly medication costs capped at NT$13,200.

Lo said the enrolment quota for the publicly funded HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme would be increased to 9,500 people next year from 8,000 this year.

The PrEP programme, aimed at preventing HIV infections, is open to Taiwanese citizens and their foreign spouses who meet medical criteria and are assessed by physicians.

Taiwan is expected to record about 850 new HIV cases this year, the lowest since 2003 and a decline of about 11 to 12 per cent from last year, partly due to the PrEP programme, Lo said.

Meanwhile, fertility subsidies will be expanded next year to include women enrolled in social insurance, including foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens, as well as mothers of newborns who are not enrolled.

The subsidy will be set at NT$100,000 per child, with higher amounts provided for multiple births such as twins.

An adult pneumococcal vaccination programme will be launched on Jan 15 next year, covering seniors, indigenous people aged 55 to 64, and high-risk adults.

The two-phase public subsidy scheme is expected to save recipients about NT$4,500 in out-of-pocket costs.

From Thursday until Feb 28 next year, free public COVID-19 vaccinations will be expanded to anyone aged six months or older who has not yet received a shot.

Privately paid COVID-19 vaccines currently cost at least NT$4,000.

Nationwide gastric cancer screening will also be introduced next year, offering a one-time Helicobacter pylori test for people aged 45 to 79.