Surgery in Taiwan.

Taiwan is an island located southeast of the Asian continent. Surgery in Taiwan has changed rapidly during the past 20 years. Approximately 4500 surgeons (including orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and urologists) serve a population of 23 million on this 36000-km(2) island. Much progress has been made in the development of basic science surgical research, the use of new technology, and the improvement of the quality of care of our patients. National Health Insurance was launched in 1995 and has had a great impact on the clinical practice of surgery. To attract more medical graduates to the specialty of surgery and enrich the resources of manpower, reasonable reimbursement and a new education program with efficient core content but no prolongation of the training period are needed.