Kinmen's Healthcare Takes the International Stage: Cardiac Catheterization Policy Study Presented in the United States Draws Global Attention
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United Daily News
By Chia-chen Tsai
Kinmen | July 16, 2026
A study examining Kinmen's cardiac catheterization policy was selected for presentation at the 101st Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International (WEAI) in Denver, Colorado, highlighting Taiwan's offshore healthcare model on the international stage.
The study, supervised by Professor Lin Shih-chang of the Department of Economics at National Tsing Hua University and conducted with the participation of Weng Yu-wen, Section Chief of the Kinmen County Public Health Bureau and a doctoral student at National Tsing Hua University, focuses on the impact of Kinmen's cardiac catheterization policy. It was selected for an oral presentation at the 101st Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International (WEAI) in Denver, United States. The research shared Kinmen's experience in strengthening emergency and critical care services for offshore islands with scholars in economics, health economics, and public policy from around the world, bringing Taiwan's offshore healthcare model to international attention.
The research team analyzed healthcare data collected in Kinmen from 2004 to 2023, employing the Difference-in-Differences (DID) method and Fixed Effects Models (FEM) to evaluate the policy's effectiveness. The findings indicate that since Kinmen Hospital established cardiac catheterization services, the proportion of patients with acute myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases requiring transfer to Taiwan's main island for treatment has declined significantly. The results demonstrate a substantial improvement in Kinmen's capacity to provide emergency and critical cardiovascular care locally, reducing patient travel burdens and treatment delays while enhancing access to healthcare for island residents.
The study further found that localizing specialized medical services not only improves healthcare efficiency but also strengthens the resilience of healthcare systems in offshore regions. By applying causal inference methods to assess policy outcomes, the research provides stronger empirical evidence than conventional descriptive studies. As a result, it has attracted considerable interest from scholars in health economics and public policy and is expected to serve as an important reference for healthcare policymaking in remote and island communities.
The project represents a cross-disciplinary collaboration among National Tsing Hua University, the Ministry of Health and Welfare Kinmen Hospital, and the Kinmen County Public Health Bureau. The research team expressed gratitude to Kinmen Hospital for its longstanding support of both clinical practice and academic research, which enabled years of accumulated clinical experience to be transformed into research with international impact, further enhancing the global visibility of Kinmen's healthcare system.
Representing the research team at the conference, Weng Yu-wen stated that improving healthcare services for offshore islands has always been a key priority for Kinmen. She noted that the opportunity to exchange ideas with international scholars proved highly rewarding and generated valuable feedback for future research. Looking ahead, the team will continue its collaboration with Kinmen Hospital to advance evidence-based healthcare policy research, optimize the allocation of medical resources, improve healthcare quality for offshore communities, and further align Kinmen's healthcare development with international standards, expanding its influence in both public policy and academic research.