More than 3,000 people had registered for Taipei’s 38th World Congress of Internal Medicine as of Nov. 10, with no participants from China registered, Focus Taiwan/CNA reported.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 12-15, at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2. The Taiwan Society of Internal Medicine is hosting the event. Its official theme is “AI, Medicine, and Humanity into the Future,” and English is its official language, according to congress information.
Taipei last hosted the congress in 2006, according to the International Society of Internal Medicine’s archive. The society’s General Assembly selected the city to host the 2026 meeting on Feb. 8, 2023, making this a return to Taipei after 20 years.
Congress President Chang Shan-chwen said organizers’ effort to bring the meeting to Taipei and their preparations drew little political interference from China, Focus Taiwan/CNA reported. Chang made the remarks at a news conference, according to the outlet.
Chang also said organizers shared information through International Society of Internal Medicine member organizations rather than sending invitations directly to individual countries or medical groups, Focus Taiwan/CNA reported. The International Society of Internal Medicine directory lists both the Taiwan Society of Internal Medicine and the Chinese Society of Internal Medicine as members.
The registration count included physicians from 60 countries outside Taiwan, Chang said, according to Focus Taiwan/CNA. The report did not specify the exact time on Nov. 10 when organizers counted registrations.
Organizers planned to discuss a draft of the “Taipei Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, and the Humanities” at a forum Friday, Nov. 13, then finalize and release it afterward, Chang said, Focus Taiwan/CNA reported. The outlet said the draft contains 14 principles covering human-centered care, patient safety, professional accountability, data governance and global health equity. The forum is scheduled during the Nov. 12-15 congress.
