Our nation has a defined territory, over which our government has exercised exclusive jurisdiction since moving to the island of Taiwan in 1949. However, our people, numbering some 21.8 million, have for years been deprived of the right to membership in a unique agency, the most important health organization in the world. Our people enjoy a comprehensive health and insurance system. Outside our borders, we have given generously to other countries, extending humanitarian aid in different parts of the world during times of disaster. In striving to attain the highest standard of international health and to achieve the objectives set by the WHO, every country has a role to play.
Contagious diseases know no national boundaries.
Infectious disease prevention efforts, which depend upon effective disease surveillance networks, are the responsibility of every nation. Yet a formal system for infectious disease surveillance does not exist on a global scale. Emergency relief programs require the spontaneous but often sustained involvement of countries that have resources to spare. However, the international community does not always have the resources to respond to localized outbreaks of disease in order to control them before they can spread across borders. We are able and willing to offer assistance, including capital, technology, equipment and the services of medical staff, to help other countries improve their standard of health and medical care.