TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To further strengthen health cooperation between Taiwan and the U.K., a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Friday (July 7).

The agreement was signed by British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis and Taiwan Representative to the U.K. Hsieh Wu-chiao (謝武樵). The MOU marks a new level of cooperation on both sides, and deepens existing collaboration on healthcare services, per a British Office Taipei press release.

"It will provide us with the platform and mechanism to look further ahead on how we can work together on a range of important issues for the sake of the health and welfare of our people," said Dennis.

Areas of cooperation include pandemic preparedness, digital health, health insurance, mental health, and healthy aging. This MOU will provide the framework for further cooperation in areas such as information sharing and exchange, visits, joint workshops, and meetings.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHOW) said the MOU will lead to substantive cooperation such as joint promotion of global health, epidemic preparation, digital health, and health insurance reciprocity.

At present, the U.K. and Australia have reciprocal health insurance, with both parties enjoying health insurance services in the other's country, per NOW Health Media.

The U.K. intends to reciprocate health insurance with Taiwan in the same way it does with Australia. In broad terms, Taiwanese traveling to the U.K. can use Taiwan's health insurance card to seek medical treatment there; however, more detailed negotiations need to be completed for this to take effect.