Abstract
In the past decade, the rapid aging population and rising healthcare cost had become two of the most debated topics among government bodies and scholars. This thesis will focus on the discussion of resolving the above two concerns with our proposed health-village based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Ultimately promoting healthy aging among the elderly generation, coupled with the massive reduction in healthcare cost for the individual and government bodies. The current healthcare system in Taiwan especially has been facing severe unequal distribution of healthcare resources and in some cases, abused by individuals and healthcare agencies to exploit the monetary rebate offered by the government policies. The accumulation of such unscrupulous practice has caused Taiwan to have one of the world’s highest GDP to healthcare cost ratio. In the long run, this is definitely not the smartest and most sustainable model to engage in solving the problem of an aging population and rising healthcare cost. In this thesis, we propose an alternative solution. Our health-village will adopt TCM and traditional Chinese exercises – including Tai Chi, to allow the elderly to age healthily and happily. First, we start off by discussing the differences in philosophy to methodology between TCM and Western medicine. Next, we layout the fundamentals of our proposed health-village. After which, we move on to discuss and compare the benefits and side-effects of both TCM and Western medicine. Lastly, we conclude that our health-village based on TCM is highly beneficial and adaptable for the mass public and any country. It not only gives any elderly or sick patient a solution to full recovery, but is also beneficial and sustainable in the allocation of resources for a country in the long run.