Palliative care in Taiwan

Abstract

To the Editor:\r\n\r\nWe have read the Special Article by Lynch et al.1 with delight and disappointment. It is a painstaking and enlightening work of real accomplishment to monitor the global development of palliative care. Sadly, our country, Taiwan, is not mentioned anywhere in the report.\r\n\r\nTaiwan, with a population of 23 million, is an independent political entity, completely separate from mainland China (People`s Republic of China). Under influence from China, Taiwan has been expelled from or refused admittance to most international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Health Organization. This may be the reason why Taiwan is omitted from the report by Lynch et al.