NT$15,000 Shingles Vaccine for Public Funding? Minister Shih: Decision by Year-End

(Central News Agency, reporter Shen Peiyao, Taipei, 11th) Chen Yi-hsin, Deputy Minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, appealed today for the provision of publicly funded shingles vaccines, which cost NT$15,000, for indigenous people. Health and Welfare Minister Shih Chung-liang responded on the spot, emphasizing that a cost-benefit assessment is underway, with results expected by the end of the year before a policy decision is made.

With traditional indigenous festivals such as the Harvest Festival and annual rituals approaching, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Council of Indigenous Peoples jointly held a press conference titled "Health Empowerment, Enhancing Indigenous Strength!" at noon today. They announced that during the festival period at the end of June, free vaccinations and free cancer screenings would be promoted for indigenous people in 55 indigenous townships.

Upon taking the stage to speak, Deputy Minister Chen Yi-hsin of the Council of Indigenous Peoples began with a smile, saying, "Today, I'm here to make a request." He immediately pointed out that the shingles vaccine is very expensive and hoped the MOHW would allow indigenous people aged 65 and over to receive the shingles vaccine for free starting next year.

In a media interview after the press conference, Minister Shih explained that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the MOHW had previously discussed whether to include the shingles vaccine in the public vaccination program. However, from a public health perspective, shingles is not contagious. Current publicly funded vaccines are primarily aimed at infectious diseases—those that could cause community or large-scale outbreaks and pose a public health burden—and only such diseases are included in the public vaccination list.

Nevertheless, Minister Shih stated that the MOHW would still conduct a cost-benefit assessment, considering factors such as health burden and National Health Insurance cost-effectiveness. The results are expected by the end of the year, at which point a policy decision will be made. The final decision will be based on which population or age group would benefit most from vaccination; therefore, it may not necessarily be a universal vaccination program or be limited to those aged 65 and over.

Lo Yi-chun, Director-General of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) under the MOHW, added that the current average market price for two doses of the shingles vaccine is NT$15,000. The cost burden is far greater than that of all current adult vaccines. Even if it meets the cost-benefit criteria, sufficient funding would still need to be secured for implementation, and there is no specific timeline for now. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150611