Yunlin population drops below 650,000; candidate proposes plan to retain residents

Yunlin County's population has dipped below 650,000, a worrying trend that gubernatorial candidate Liu Chien-kuo aims to reverse with a comprehensive "four-pronged" strategy. As of the end of July, the county's population stood at 647,070.

Liu, a legislator from the Democratic Progressive Party, outlined his plan in an interview, emphasizing the need to improve the local healthcare environment. He noted that Yunlin residents often have to travel to Tainan, Kaohsiung, or Taichung for critical care, lengthening response times and burdening families. Liu has advocated for better medical services in Yunlin, citing the unfairness of paying national health insurance premiums without adequate local access to advanced care.

His efforts have contributed to the expansion of the National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch's Huwei campus, with the project's budget increasing from an initial 6.5 billion NTD to 12.9 billion NTD due to rising costs. Additionally, the nation's first "National Center for Geriatric Medicine and Health Research" was established in Yunlin and began operations in May, seen as crucial foundations for reversing population loss.

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Yunlin people have never paid less for national health insurance, and this is an unfair situation for Yunlin.

Liu believes population decline is not solely due to low birth rates. He pointed to the growth of cities like Taichung and Taoyuan, which attract residents through convenient transportation, employment, housing, and education. Therefore, his "four-pronged" strategy also includes accelerating the development of industrial parks, fostering industry clusters, and establishing talent training bases. He envisions creating dual technology and biotechnology agricultural industrial parks, as well as emerging industry clusters like unmanned vehicles and AI talent training, to encourage local youth to stay and attract talent from elsewhere.

Liu stressed that while population increases cannot happen overnight, the government can stabilize the decline by enhancing the county's competitiveness. He asserted that improvements in healthcare, industry, talent development, and the overall environment are indispensable for giving young people a future in Yunlin and reversing the population outflow.

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Population outflow cannot be solely attributed to low birth rates. Cities with convenient transportation, employment, housing, and education attract people.