The Health Ministry on Friday unveiled its new health research center for Indigenous Peoples at the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI). The center will be directed by Wayne Sheu (許惠恒), an international diabetes expert and current NHRI Vice President.
The NHRI has outlined a two-year plan for the center. In 2024, it will focus on development goals and initiating the planning of the Indigenous health database system. By 2025, it aims to complete the Indigenous health database system, addressing priority issues related to Indigenous health in line with the actual needs of Indigenous communities. The center will also gradually expand its database to include humanities and social aspects to encompass social welfare areas.
The NHRI says that the center will collaborate with experts and scholars of indigenous descent, the Council of Indigenous Peoples, as well as other indigenous societies, organizations, and practitioners.