Taipei City Government

    Taipei City Secured Small Loans Services and Taipei City Hospital (hereinafter respectively referred to as “TCSSLS” and “TCH”) won the 1st Government Service Award, beating 174 participating government agencies nationwide. The award is granted by Executive Yuan to recognize government agencies’ excellence in providing services to people.
    TCSSLS is one of the only two government-owned pawnshops. Not only has it achieved financial autonomy, it also stands out in innovating and simplifying operations, enhancing service quality, strengthening social caring, and being helpful hands for people’s daily living.
    TCSSLS’ strategic theme is “LIFE,” referring to “Liable” - maximize social benefit; “Impressive” - improve service quality;“Financial”–  achieve financial autonomy; and “Efficient”– enhance asset efficiency. It has the lowest interest rate on collateral loans in the nation and offers the disadvantaged people differential rates. In addition, it improves staff’s appraisal skills, develops creative marketing strategies, launches services in the evening, expands types of collateral used for loans, simplifies procedures, upgrades information services, etc. Furthermore, it provides job referral services and offers “cash rewards” for clients’ getting hired or academic achievement. It also diversifies its business. For instance, it builds “SHWOO,” the largest online auction platform of scrap government-owned items, and provides pricing and sale services, making contribution to the circular economy.   
    The population in Taiwan is aging rapidly over the next 10 years. The existing medical system may not be able to cope with the increasing disability, dependence and death in the elderly. In response to the global trend of community-based integrated care, TCH emphasizes hospice cares and aims to become the pioneering hospital in Asia built on community-based care. It hopes to provide home hospice care for those who wish to spend the rest of their days at home.  
    Besides normalizing hospice care at all branches, TCH’s community hospice care ranks number one in Taiwan. It suffices to be a benchmark on community hospice care for all hospitals. With its experiences, TCH will continue to promote the normalization of hospice care in Taiwan’s hospitals. By encouraging communities and hospitals to join the program, it hopes to increase the nation’s care capacity, improve the quality of hospice care, and eventually fulfill the vision “live and die well.”