Health Ministry Medical Affairs Department Director Liu Yueh-ping (劉越萍) stated in a media interview on Monday, June 22, that euthanasia cannot solve Taiwan’s super-aged society problems. She said the government's policy focus should be on upgrading and improving hospice and palliative care.

Liu’s comments were a response to public discussion after TPP founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) posted a video on his personal social platform of his visit to siblings suffering from a hereditary neurological disease. One sibling was set to depart to Switzerland for euthanasia the next day, criticizing Taiwan's long-term care system for cutting care into fragmented projects where diseases like theirs fall through the cracks and are not supported. He said he hopes that the country can come up with solutions instead of pushing all the responsibilities to the people.

Liu pointed out that there are currently long-term care services, hospice and palliative care, and the Patient Right to Autonomy Act, which took effect in 2019, and was the first law in Asia that comprehensively safeguards a patient’s right to self-determination regarding medical care and end-of-life decisions.

She said that in the future, the overall system should be re-examined, and policy coherence should be strengthened. Liu advised that patients clearly express their wishes in advance when they are conscious and clear, so that at the end of life, medical institutions can preserve the patient’s dignity. 

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