TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's health minister will lead a delegation to Geneva next week for the 79th World Health Assembly, the government announced Monday (May 11). The island is mounting its most ambitious sideline campaign yet, including its first-ever smart medical expo, while marking a decade without an official invitation to the global health summit.
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) confirmed at a joint press conference that he would depart this week. The delegation will include officials from Taiwan's disease control, food and drug, health insurance, and health promotion agencies. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said plans for him to join were still "being planned" but not finalized.
The centerpiece of Taiwan's campaign is the inaugural "Taiwan Smart Medical & HealthTech Expo," which will run May 18–19 at Hotel President Wilson in Geneva. Thirty medical institutions and technology companies will participate, showcasing innovations in AI healthcare, digital health, and medical supply chain resilience, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The world is big. We can build our own stage outside," Lin said, describing the expo as part of a broader effort to demonstrate Taiwan's value as a global health partner. The foreign ministry will also broadcast promotional videos at 24 locations in Geneva's airport from May 14 to 18.
The assembly, which runs May 18–23, will be the first since the United States formally withdrew from the WHO in January. Taiwan has not received an invitation to the WHA since 2016, when it last attended as an observer. If excluded again this year, it will mark the island's 10th consecutive year without participation.
Despite the U.S. absence, Shih said international support for Taiwan's participation had not weakened. "The number of countries supporting Taiwan's participation as an observer has actually increased year after year," he said. "These like-minded countries are still working hard on our behalf this year." Shih did not name specific countries or detail their commitments.
The expo initiative originated from a proposal by Legislative Vice President Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who had advocated for years that Taiwan should leverage its medical expertise at WHA sideline events. Lin said he embraced the idea after Chiang raised it during a meeting, and the legislature approved funding for the project.
Dr. Chang Wen-han (張文瀚), superintendent of MacKay Memorial Hospital and leader of the industry delegation, said the expo would bring together teams specializing in innovative healthcare, smart medicine, and resilient medical supply chains. "We hope through this exhibition, the world can see Taiwan more clearly," Chang said.
Taiwan's 21 major medical associations held a separate press conference last week calling on the WHO to grant Taiwan observer status. The World Medical Association, representing physicians from 118 countries, also sent a letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urging the organization to include Taiwan in WHA proceedings and pandemic preparedness mechanisms.
"Safeguarding the health rights of Taiwan's 23 million people is an issue the World Health Organization cannot ignore," Shih said. Lin echoed the sentiment, arguing that Taiwan's exclusion contradicts the WHO's founding principle of leaving no one behind. "That is its spirit, yet it continues to violate it," Lin said.
The delegation is scheduled to depart May 16 and return May 24, according to earlier reports. Details on bilateral meetings with foreign health officials and which countries have committed to supporting Taiwan's observer bid were not immediately available. The WHO has not publicly responded to Taiwan's campaign. ◼
