In an effort to reposition Taiwan as a medical tourism destination and boost the number of mainland Chinese sightseers visiting the island, the Republic of China (ROC) government is working toward changing regulations that prevent mainlanders from undergoing medical examinations while in country. According to Walter Yeh, executive vice president of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), once mainland Chinese are permitted to engage in individual activities for a day and a half while on group sightseeing tours, they could receive medical check-ups in Taiwan. “The regulation will be a major breakthrough as Chinese mainland tourists, under the current regulations, cannot have medical examinations in Taiwan, Yeh said. “We have long been preparing, and can now launch the initiative.” In June, Yeh led a delegation of representatives from 12 Taiwan hospitals on a medical tourism fact-finding tour of Shanghai, Quanzhou and Xiamen. During the tour, a Taipei Veterans General Hospital official conducted a survey of major industry players. Around 90 percent of respondents indicated they were interested in visiting Taiwan for pleasure, with 50 percent stating they were willing to travel to the island for medical care. The official said that the survey results showed Taiwan's health care industry has a positive image with most respondents, who became aware of its virtues through the media and Internet. “What impressed them the most is that Taiwan's medical institutions have an edge over (mainland) Chinese clinics in terms of facilities, technology and services,” he said. “They also expressed interest in the areas of dentistry and cosmetic medicine.” Yeh stressed that while Taiwan's health sector offers an array of world-class services, not many people from overseas are aware of them. “The first thing we need to do is to launch publicity campaigns,” he stressed, adding that in November, he will take another larger delegation to Beijing and Guangzhou. As for the areas of promotion, the TAITRA official noted that Taiwan could begin by offering physical check-ups and cosmetic medicine as a way of building credibility of the island's services. “With other services piggybacking on their success once the nation's health industry becomes better known internationally,” Yeh said. In 2007, the Department of Health unveiled a program aimed at facilitating medical travel. The initiative nominated 20 hospitals that now work with airlines, hotels, and travel agencies, as well as the government, to attract medical visitors to the island. The government hopes that Taiwan is set to become a destination for medical tourism much like Thailand and Singapore--two of the most popular countries for medical tourism in Asia. According to the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, after Taiwan opened its doors to larger numbers of mainland Chinese tourists July 18, a total of 10,228 sightseers from the mainland had entered the country by Aug. 26. Daily arrivals averaged 244 for the period. This number is expected to rise significantly once mainland China eases its controls on outbound travel in the wake of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Local media reports speculate that this spike in visitor numbers from the mainland could equate to 3 million arrivals every year. Many hospitals see this hoped-for boon in mainland tourism as an opportunity to expand their businesses. Some doctors are pushing for expedited medical visas for mainland Chinese visitors. “I am hoping for a new beginning as medical visas become possible,” said Dr. John Jean, CEO of International Medical Service Center at Wan Fang Hospital in Taipei. TAITRA estimates that if just 10 percent of mainland visitors each spend US$635 on physical examinations in Taiwan, this will generate annual revenues of US$200 million. Yeh expressed optimism in the potential of the mainland Chinese medical tourism market, and explained that Taiwan's ultimate goal is to introduce international medical tourists to the island's other high-end value-added medical services.
