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A First in the Asia-Pacific – Taiwan Leads the Launch of the Early Kidney Disease Annual Report, Opening a New Era in Advancing Kidney Care

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 December 2025 – Taiwan’s chronic disease care is once again at the forefront internationally, taking new strides with the release of the Asia-Pacific’s first “Early Chronic Kidney Disease Annual Report,” jointly published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Health Research Institutes, and the Taiwan Society of Nephrology. This report not only comprehensively covers the information on various stages of chronic kidney disease but also provides timely and internationally relevant data that has garnered high attention from the Asia-Pacific medical community.

Domestic and international leaders gathered at the launch ceremony of the 2025 Early CKD Annual Report Press Conference, symbolizing the formal release of the first early kidney disease annual report in the Asia-Pacific region and showcasing Taiwan’s international leadership position in precise kidney care. From left to right are:

  • Yung-Ho Hsu, Secretary General of the Taiwan Society of Nephrology
  • Shang-Jyh Hwang, Honorary President of the Taiwan Society of Nephrology
  • Masaomi Nangaku, Immediate Past-President of the International Society of Nephrology
  • Marcello Tonelli, President of the International Society of Nephrology
  • Mai-Szu Wu, President of the Taiwan Society of Nephrology
  • Chung-Liang Shih, Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare
  • Ching-Fen Shen, Director General of the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare
  • Chih-Cheng Hsu, Professor at the National Health Research Institutes
  • Hyeong-Cheon Park, President Elect of the Asia Pacific Society of Nephrology
  • Rajnish Mehrotra, President of the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis

The complete and immediate analysis aids in reversing the past trend where most patients were diagnosed at late stages and required dialysis, ushering in a new era of early detection and treatment. Minister of Health and Welfare, Chung-Liang Shih, stated at a press conference that this annual report serves as a new engine for promoting precise care, integrating complete data and risk classification indicators for Early CKD P4P(Pay for Performance) and Pre-ESRD P4P. This fills the gap in early kidney disease data and strengthens the quantitative basis for policy and clinical decision-making, facilitating early intervention and delaying disease progression. The goal is to achieve the Healthy Taiwan Policy target of reducing the standardized mortality rate for chronic diseases by one-third by 2030, and for Taiwan’s care model to become an example in the Asia-Pacific, establishing a sustainable and precise new framework for kidney care.

The early kidney disease annual report reveals several key trends. According to KDIGO risk classification, the proportion of high-risk and very high-risk patients in the P4P program has gradually decreased in recent years, reflecting a shift in treatment strategies toward early intervention and prevention. This trend not only highlights the medical team’s emphasis on the care of early-stage chronic kidney disease patients but also helps delay disease progression and reduce the incidence of later-stage complications. In terms of controlling the “three highs” (hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia), data shows that approximately 80% of patients meet lipid targets and nearly 60% maintain stable blood sugar levels. However, only about 30% meet the target for blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg, indicating significant challenges remain in blood pressure control. The “three highs” are important risk factors for the progression and deterioration of chronic kidney disease, making it crucial to further improve control rates. The implementation of the P4P program has already shown preliminary results, and there are expectations for more immediate, comprehensive, and rigorous data collection and tracking, which will more fully demonstrate the long-term benefits of this care model.

Data-Driven: Taiwan’s First Early Kidney Disease Annual Report Fills Care Gaps

Professor Chih-Cheng Hsu from the National Health Research Institutes pointed out that past domestic kidney disease care has primarily focused on dialysis and end-stage disease, with limited understanding of early stages and delayed updates on data. This annual report breaks through traditional reporting frameworks and represents the first integration of complete data and risk classification indicators for Early CKD P4P and Pre-ESRD P4P. Utilizing big data for in-depth analysis, it outlines the disease progression and comorbidity trends of patients at different risk levels, successfully filling the long-term gap in early kidney disease care. He noted that grasping information on early stages of disease helps clinicians intervene earlier and delay deterioration while providing quantitative evidence for health policies to promote proactive and timely kidney care strategies, enhancing Taiwan’s international competitiveness in precise health governance.

Early CKD P4P and Pre-ESRD P4P are two phased quality-based reimbursement programs promoted by the National Health Insurance Administration, addressing key care needs for early chronic kidney disease and pre-dialysis patients, respectively. Early CKD P4P primarily targets patients in CKD stages 1-3a, aiding healthcare institutions in early identification of kidney deterioration risks through disease tracking and integrated care models, providing personalized management. Pre-ESRD P4P focuses on patients in CKD stages 3b, 4-5, enhancing control of complications, medication, and nutritional management while utilizing data feedback to support treatment decisions, aiming to delay dialysis and improve care efficiency. Both programs link the complete processes from early prevention to pre-dialysis intervention, contributing to improved overall CKD care quality and patient long-term prognosis.

Precise Kidney Care: Holistic and Continuous CKD Care as a Model for Chronic Disease

Taiwan centers its approach on “precise care,” continuously optimizing the integrated chronic kidney disease care system to implement policy blueprints in clinical practice. Director General of National Health Insurance Administration, Lian-Yu Chen, mentioned that Taiwan has progressively refined various measures, from educational programs for pre-end-stage renal disease patients to integrated care plans for early chronic kidney disease. The medical team can adjust personalized treatment strategies based on patient risk classification and clinical data, strengthening disease management and follow-up effectiveness for early-stage patients. She indicated that by integrating and providing feedback across units, care gaps could be minimized to ensure that patients receive consistent medical services across different levels of care. Director General of Health Promotion Administration, Ching-Fen Shen, remarked that grassroots health education and community health advocacy go hand in hand to enhance public awareness of kidney health. Years of efforts have significantly slowed the deterioration of early kidney disease progression, with patients participating in integrated care exhibiting a lower future risk of dialysis compared to those who do not participate, showing tangible effectiveness of the Taiwan model.

Policy Linkage and Sustainable Vision: Achieving the Healthy Taiwan Goals and Leading the New Landscape of Asia-Pacific

In response to the government’s “Healthy Taiwan” policy, Taiwan is implementing a preventive kidney care model based on the Early CKD P4P and Pre-ESRD P4P systems and the Early Kidney Disease Annual Report. President of the Taiwan Society of Nephrology, Mai-Szu Wu, stated that investing in early chronic kidney disease management not only contributes to health sustainability but also reduces waste of medical resources, achieving dual benefits of health outcomes and environmental sustainability, assisting the government in its goal to reduce chronic disease mortality by one-third by 2030.

During the Asia-Pacific Nephrology Conference (APCN) held in Taipei this year, the Asia-Pacific’s first Early Kidney Disease Annual Report was officially unveiled. President of the International Society of Nephrology, Marcello Tonelli, and Immediate Past-President , Masaomi Nangaku, along with the President Elect of the Asia Pacific Society of Nephrology Hyeong-Cheon Park and Honorary Secretary Sunita Bavanandan attended as witnesses, attracting experts from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Additionally, various important domestic academic societies, including the Taiwan Academy of Family Medicine, Taiwan Society of Cardiology, the Diabetes Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Taiwan Association of Clinical Diabetes, and the Taiwan Medical Clinics Association also participated and supported the event. Minister Chung-Liang Shih expressed gratitude for the collective efforts and emphasized that this kidney annual report showcases Taiwan’s leading position in medical data integration and clinical evidence, hoping that real-time and comprehensive data analysis will once again showcase Taiwan’s precision care model to the international community, working together with other countries to create a new global framework for chronic kidney disease prevention and treatment.

Hashtag: #TaiwanSocietyofNephrology

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Empowering Hongkongers to Build Side Businesses — Asia Coach Group Partners with E-Commerce Educator Francisco Ho to Launch the New “10x E-Commerce System” Course

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HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 February 2026 – Asia Coach Group Limited today announced a collaboration with local e-commerce educator Francisco Ho to launch the “10x E-Commerce System,” a new training programme. Built around a systematic e-commerce operations methodology, the course is designed for Hong Kong working professionals, full-time parents, and small-scale entrepreneurs looking to expand their career horizons beyond their primary occupation, equipping participants with end-to-end e-commerce competencies spanning product selection, store setup, traffic acquisition, and conversion.

Francisco Ho, Founder of “10x E-Commerce System” Business Coaching Programme

Nearly 40% of Hongkongers Run a Side Business — E-Commerce Emerges as the New Frontier

According to a Glassdoor-Harris poll, nearly 40 per cent of Hongkongers maintain a side business to meet rising living costs. A separate Statista survey found that 64 per cent of Hong Kong e-commerce operators expect revenue growth of 10 to 20 per cent in 2026. As digital tools become more accessible and barriers to entry continue to fall, a growing number of professionals and young entrepreneurs are turning to independent branded online stores to broaden their business reach, driving a surge in demand for systematic e-commerce knowledge and hands-on operational skills.

A New Entrepreneurial Pathway for Professionals

Francisco Ho said: “More and more professionals in Hong Kong are exploring how to turn their expertise or personal interests into a sustainable brand. The appeal of e-commerce lies in its relatively low barrier to entry and its potential for scalability. You don’t need to leave your day job to build a business from the ground up. The 10x E-Commerce System is built for exactly these individuals — offering a practical, actionable framework that turns ‘I want to give it a try’ into a concrete first step.”

The programme moves beyond the conventional reliance on third-party marketplace platforms, teaching participants to establish independently branded online stores. Through data-driven product selection strategies, seasonal consumer psychology analysis, and AI-powered tools, learners are equipped to capitalise on peak holiday shopping periods.

Four Core Modules — Building a Complete E-Commerce Skill Chain

The curriculum is structured around four core modules that together form a comprehensive e-commerce skill chain. The “P.V.S. Value Bundling Method” leverages data-driven insights for precision product selection and high-margin product development. The “S-Tier Supply Chain Alliance System” establishes asset-light partnership models that reduce capital pressure and inventory risk. The “KOL Traffic Monetisation Engine” provides a replicable framework for influencer collaboration and short-form video traffic generation. Finally, the “AI Growth Flywheel” integrates automated customer service, AI-powered predictive product selection, and dynamic pricing mechanisms, working in tandem with the Shopify platform to enable highly efficient, automated store operations — allowing participants to sustain and grow their business even while maintaining full-time employment.

A Homegrown Mentor with a Global Footprint

Course instructor Francisco Ho is the founder of two online stores each generating over HKD 100 million in annual revenue, with combined annual sales exceeding USD 17 million. His business portfolio spans Korean cosmetics brand BLESSEDMOON, investment firm COLLECTED GROWTH, and the business programme Pitching Dojo. Having launched a large-scale online store and established his own manufacturing facility at the age of 20, Ho is a member of the World Elite Leaders Alliance and has to date mentored over 100 students in successfully scaling their e-commerce businesses.

As Hong Kong’s e-commerce market enters a phase of accelerated growth, the data-driven and AI-empowered approach championed by the 10x E-Commerce System represents a vital resource for local entrepreneurs seeking to ride the digital economy wave and break through in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Hashtag: #Ecommerce #Business #Entrepreneurship #Coaching #FranciscoHo #10xEcommerceSystem

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About Asia Coach Group

Founded in 2019, Asia Coach Group is a premier business education institution serving professionals and organisations across Asia. Our mission is to develop high-calibre business leaders and equip them with the skills, strategies, and mindset to drive measurable results.

To date, we have trained over 10,000 participants — from C-suite executives and seasoned professionals to first-time founders — generating more than HKD 300 million in cumulative revenue. Our faculty comprises six domain-expert instructors specialising in e-commerce, sales, investment, and corporate performance training.

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Only 1 in 5 Professionals in Singapore and Malaysia Demonstrate AI-Ready Skills, New Epitome Data Reveals

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Aggregated multi-year assessments in Singapore and Malaysia highlight skills gaps as AI adoption accelerates

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 February 2026 – As artificial intelligence adoption accelerates across organisations, new data from workforce intelligence company Epitome Global signals that skills gaps may constrain the next phase of AI-driven productivity.

Based on aggregated skills assessments conducted across Singapore and Malaysia between 2023 and 2025, only around one in five professionals consistently demonstrate characteristics associated with AI-ready skills, including persistence, curiosity and reflective learning.

The findings are drawn from assessment data involving more than 200 participants across workforce development, employability and organisational programmes. While more than 70% of participants report advanced digital literacy, deeper skills gaps remain: approximately 56% rate themselves at a basic level in decision-making, and around 42% report only basic confidence in computational thinking, skills increasingly required to supervise AI tools, interpret outputs and integrate technology into workflows.

The data signals that as AI tools become more accessible, workforce readiness, rather than technology availability, may emerge as the primary constraint on performance in 2026.

“AI tools are scaling faster than workforce readiness,” said Kevin Chan, CEO of Epitome Global. “In the next phase of adoption, the differentiator will not be access to technology, but clarity around what people can actually do, how they make decisions, adapt and collaborate with AI-enabled systems.”

Five Workplace Trends to Watch in 2026

Based on these findings, Epitome identifies five workplace trends expected to shape organisations in 2026:

  1. Disengagement and skills decay as rising risks to productivity and performance: Only around 1 in 5 workers consistently display behaviours associated with AI ready talent, such as persistence, curiosity and reflective learning.
  2. Rapid AI adoption in the workplace in 2025 revealed gaps in AI integration: Despite strong uptake, 65% of organisations in Singapore remain focused on basic AI use cases, highlighting limits in scaling and embedding AI into workflows.
  3. Workers across Southeast Asia and India shifting from cost based outsourcing toward higher value technical roles: Professionals in markets such as the Philippines, Vietnam and India are expanding into engineering, product, IT and data science functions, competing more directly in global talent markets.
  4. Intensifying fire and hire cycles as organisations rebalance skills: In 2026, companies will continue to cut roles that no longer match future needs while hiring selectively for advanced technical and cross functional capabilities.
  5. Senior employability becoming more strategic in AI driven organisations: As Asia ages, employers are looking at how senior professionals can contribute as knowledge carriers, reviewers of AI assisted outputs and cross functional mentors.

As organisations move further into 2026, differences in outcomes are likely to be shaped less by the number of AI tools deployed and more by how clearly organisations understand, measure and develop workforce skills.

For the full market commentary, visit: https://epitome.global/
Hashtag: #epitomeglobal #technology #singapore #business #AI


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Epitome Global

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Singapore, Epitome Global is a workforce intelligence and skills analytics company that helps organisations understand, develop and deploy talent in an AI-enabled economy. Combining data analytics, artificial intelligence and sector-specific expertise, Epitome Global supports public and private sector organisations in workforce planning, skills assessment and targeted upskilling.

With approximately 1.3 million user profiles captured to date, Epitome Global leverages human capital analytics to power dashboards and workforce decision-making for enterprises and government agencies globally. Its platforms inform decisions around talent mobility, skills development and workforce transformation at scale.

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Lee Kum Kee Sauce Serves as Platinum Sponsor of the 2026 Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day

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Bringing Festive Flavours and Delicious Moments to the Community

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 February 2026 – Lee Kum Kee Sauce (“Lee Kum Kee”), the global leader of Asian sauces and condiments, marked a successful debut as the Platinum Sponsor of the 2026 Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day in Auckland. Co-hosted by the Auckland Chinese Community Centre (ACCC) and Channel 33, this festival was held on 14 February 2026, in celebration of the upcoming Year of the Horse, bringing together families, community groups, and cultural performers.

The Lee Kum Kee booth draws strong crowds at the 2026 Auckland Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day.

Set against the backdrop of the Auckland Showgrounds, the festival featured over 200 specialist stalls offering traditional Chinese hot delicacies, festive foodstuffs and traditional arts and crafts, attracting over 20,000 visitors. The extensive entertainment programme included lion dances, traditional Chinese songs and performances that brought the spirit of the celebrations to life.

Lee Kum Kee set up a captivating booth experience for festivalgoers of all ages, allowing them to explore an extensive range of sauces through delectable tastings, exclusive promotional sales, and the exciting “Chopstick Lucky Dip” prize-giving game, which drew enthusiastic participation throughout the event.

A visitor tries his luck by drawing chopsticks from the luck dip game.
A visitor tries his luck by drawing chopsticks from the luck dip game.

Gary Hui (left), Business Development Director – Oceania of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, presents a cheque to the ACCC as a Platinum Sponsor of the event.
Gary Hui (left), Business Development Director – Oceania of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, presents a cheque to the ACCC as a Platinum Sponsor of the event.

In serving the local community, Lee Kum Kee aims to bring traditional festive moments to life. Gary Hui, Business Development Director – Oceania of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, remarked, “Spring Festival represents family, togetherness, and the joy of sharing meals. We are proud to support an event that reflects these values. Whether you are discovering new tastes or enjoying familiar favourites, we hope this festival brings joy and connection to all.”

(Fourth from left) Vincent Wong, President - APAC of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, pictured with the New Zealand market team at the booth.
(Fourth from left) Vincent Wong, President – APAC of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, pictured with the New Zealand market team at the booth.

A trusted household name for generations, Lee Kum Kee is renowned for its authentic Asian sauces that inspire home cooking and festive dining. Through on-going community partnerships and cultural celebrations, Lee Kum Kee remains committed to supporting local communities while promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide through the joy of food.Hashtag: #LeeKumKee #LKK

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About Lee Kum Kee

Lee Kum Kee is the global gateway to Asian culinary culture, dedicated to promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide. Since 1888, it has brought people together over joyful reunions, shared traditions, and memorable meals. Beloved by consumers and chefs alike, Lee Kum Kee’s range of more than 300 sauces and condiments sparks creativity in kitchens everywhere, inspiring professional and home chefs to experiment, create, and delight. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China and serving over 100 countries and regions, Lee Kum Kee’s rich heritage, unwavering commitment to quality, sustainable practices, and “Constant Entrepreneurship” combine to enable superior experiences through Asian cuisine for people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.LKK.com.

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