The healthcare system and the development of thoracic surgery in Taiwan Taiwan is an island located north of South China Sea, about 180 km off the southeastern coast of China, with a total area of 36,000 km 2 and a population of approximately 23 million people. While at the beginning of the twentieth century the Taiwanese medical system was largely influenced by the Japanese healthcare model, over the last decades it has been largely shaped by organization schemes derived from Western countries. Along with innovation and economic growth, Taiwan has always been committed to deliver high quality health and public health services (1). At present, the Taiwanese medical teaching system consists of three public, one military, and nine private medical schools from which at least 1,300 students graduate annually (Figure 1). Although the stable physician supply has been able to maintain a