Cooperation with the New Southbound Policy

In response to the government’s New Southbound Policy, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has launched the “One Country, One Center” initiative since June 2018, designating medical centers with international cooperation experience and strong medical capabilities as the healthcare cooperation hubs for each New Southbound country. This initiative aims to strengthen connections and exchanges in medical care, public health, and the biomedical industry with Southeast Asian and South Asian countries, fostering more systematic and sustainable bilateral cooperation.
 NCKU Hospital was designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare as the medical center responsible for India under the “One Country, One Center” initiative due to its established foundation of cooperation with India. The Hospital demonstrated high efficiency after the launch of the initiative—signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CHD Group in September 2018, a public health and community health development organization in southern India. In the same month, it signed MOUs with Voice of Healthcare and Swan Hospital in India to introduce Taiwan’s local medical and biotech industries into the Indian healthcare market and to provide opportunities for Indian medical personnel to undergo exchange training at NCKU Hospital. In November 2019, NCKU Hospital also signed an MOU with AIIMS, India’s most representative national medical research institution, to cooperate in medical education and industry-academia research talent exchange.

The global pandemic has heightened awareness of the importance of digital technology in epidemic prevention and the development of telemedicine. During this period, NCKU Hospital’s medical exchange and epidemic prevention support with India remained uninterrupted. In 2022, the Hospital co-hosted the “International Conference on Digital Health” with Voice of Healthcare, marking the first time a vice-presidential-level official from Taiwan participated in such an event. In 2023, the Hospital further signed an MOU with Yashoda Super Specialty Hospitals in India. In addition to personnel training, bilateral visits, and clinical research projects, the collaboration expanded to explore business opportunities in medical devices, aiming to leverage Taiwan’s strength in hardware and India’s strength in software to fully realize the potential and advantages of Taiwan–India cooperation, benefiting the people of both countries.

In recent years, NCKU Hospital has continued to build more connections with the Indian medical community. As of 2023, a total of 49 Indian physicians has been trained by the Hospital. It has also led other domestic medical device manufacturers to participate in trade exhibitions, thereby increasing Taiwan’s visibility. In 2024, the Hospital participated in a webinar organized by “The Red Lantern Analytica,” an Indian international affairs think tank. The webinar focused on Taiwan, and all participants expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, recognizing Taiwan’s contribution to global public health.