Taipei City Government will provide long-term care services to foreign seniors who qualify for the Mackay Program, the city’s Department of Social Welfare said Nov. 29.
The announcement comes after the department said last week that it would provide such services to Sister Elvira Valentin Martin as a special case in consideration of her more than five decades’ of service to leprosy patients in Taiwan. Despite holding an alien permanent resident certificate, the elderly Spanish missionary, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, is not officially qualified to receive such care, which is only available to Taiwan citizens.
According to the department, the city’s decision is in line with the central government’s Mackay Program launched in June for foreign nationals with APRCs and over the age of 65 who have made longstanding contributions to Taiwan in such areas as social welfare, education, religion, medical care and culture. Such individuals are entitled to discounts on public transportation and admission to scenic areas and government-run cultural establishments and recreational facilities.
The municipal government said those living in Taipei City who qualify under the Mackay Program will be eligible for long-term care services. It added that 167 foreign citizens around Taiwan, including 39 located in Taipei City, are eligible to benefit from the program.
The department said it would contact those individuals living in Taipei to gain a better understanding of their current situation and to determine whether they are in need of long-term care services.
It added that if the central government decides to expand the scope of foreign citizens eligible for such care, the Taipei City Government will follow suit.
