Taiwan has yet to receive an invitation to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA). That’s according to Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) when he was interviewed outside of the Legislature on Wednesday.
The WHA is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization. The annual assembly will take place on May 21 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Earlier this month, Taiwan’s Health Ministry welcomed a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the G7 nations calling for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA.
Hsueh says they are continuing their efforts to receive an invitation. He says he will still lead a delegation to the WHA this year.
Hsueh says the delegation will include National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞). Hsueh says Lo has past experience traveling with a delegation to the WHA and has knowledge about Taiwan’s pandemic control efforts.
Meanwhile, when asked about the potential disbandment of the Central Epidemic Command Center, Hsueh says Taiwan will continue to monitor COVID-19 cases and have prevention measures in place even without a center.