The head of Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) is standing by the agency’s recent conditional approval of 14 heated tobacco products, despite protests from anti-smoking groups. In an interview published a day after his retirement, former HPA director-general Wu Chao-chun stated that while the HPA’s official stance is “no smoking is best,” the agency must also acknowledge the reality of tobacco use.
The decision to approve the products was not made lightly. According to Wu, the issue was reviewed by two committees, involved 60 meetings, and included input from experts in medicine, toxicology, and public health. This process, he said, was a first for Taiwan and the U.S., making them the only countries to mandate an official evaluation before allowing such products to be sold.
Anti-smoking groups, however, have voiced strong opposition. The Taiwan Alliance on Banning Cigarettes protested the decision, arguing that heated tobacco products are still a form of tobacco. They also pointed out that the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act forbids products from being marketed as having “passed health risk assessments” or being “better than traditional cigarettes.”
In addition to the tobacco controversy, Wu’s interview highlighted the HPA’s broader public health initiatives. He noted that the agency aims to reduce cancer-related deaths by one-third by 2030. To achieve this, the HPA has expanded screening eligibility for five types of cancer: breast, cervical, colorectal, oral, and lung cancer.
Starting next year, the HPA will also launch government-funded screening for stomach cancer, a disease where early treatment is 90% effective. This initiative is particularly important given that 70-80% of stomach cancer patients are found to have Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium linked to the disease. The HPA plans to expand the screening program to 17 cities and counties this year, with the goal of establishing a national standard procedure.
Wu emphasized that early screening is the most effective way to reduce cancer deaths. He encouraged people to get screened and seek treatment if necessary, which can also help them avoid large medical bills in the future.
Wu, who served as director-general from 2021 until his retirement, also took time to thank his colleagues and former health ministers for their support, noting that with their help, the agency’s budget had grown from NT1.7billion ($57.2mn) to NT12 billion ($403mn).
