Taiwan is a small beautiful country in Eastern Asian, home to more than 23 million people, with an important position on the global tourist map. Taiwan maintains a stable economic growth and is the fifth largest economy in Asia. Every year thousands of tourists throng this country in search of contemporary cities, hot spring resorts and dramatic mountainous terrain.
Taiwan is an island in the Pacific Ocean located off the southeastern coast of China. People have often mistaken the name of Taiwan and Thailand, here’s the map! (Read more: 10 Illustrations Show How Different Taiwan and Thailand Are)
Already a popular travel destination, Taiwan is now targeting its medical services to many health tourists. How so? Owing to that Taiwan is very popular for its high standards of public healthcare and medical facilities. (Read more: Taiwan: A Hot Spot for Health & Global Traveler lauds Taiwan as top medical tourism destination)
To know more details of Taiwan Healthcare system – NHI (National Health Insurance), click here to see our another article!
After the outbreak of coronavirus (covid-19), Taiwan’s outstanding response has attracted more attention from the world. World famous media such as CNN: Taiwan’s coronavirus response is among the best globally and Time: Taiwan Says It Tried to Warn the World About Coronavirus. Here’s What It Really Knew and When. (Read more: Taiwan: a role model for pandemic management)
Why Taiwan?
- Low-cost but high standard treatment
- Taiwan’s hospitals are equipped with top-notch technologies and methodologies that help provide remarkable medical facilities with notably cheap prices.
- The cost of the treatment would be around one fifth of western countries such as United States and United Kingdom.
- Taiwan’s national health insurance (NHI) managed by the government cuts down the cost of medical care services.
- Highly qualified medical professionals with highly sophisticated technology
- The hospitals in Taiwan employ highly qualified medical professionals. (Doctors undergo an initial 7 years training, and following up with their specialties)
- State-of-the-art technologies such as
MRIs, CTs and PETs. (Know more about Monitoring CTs, PET Scans and MRIs)- MRIs for determining if you have injured or unhealthy tissue within your body.
- CTs for detecting smaller items like tumors and cancers, or for identifying and monitoring internal bleeding.
- PETs for diagnosing diseases or issues by looking at how the body is functioning, like finding cancer.
(Read more: BBC: The Taiwanese medtech transforming healthcare)
- Variety of treatment plans
- Taiwan is popular for providing a variety of treatments and plans, ranging from cardiovascular surgery, joint replacement, artificial reproduction, cancer treatment, robotic surgery, liver transplantation, carniofacial reconstruction, health screening to cosmetic treatment.
- Taiwan medical tourism also provides services of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which include acupuncture,
cupping, herbs, meditation, moxibustion and Tai Chi. (Read more: Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know)
- Great patient services with visitor-friendly environment
- The hospitals in Taiwan provide customer-oriented, compassionate service, for example, independent health examination buildings, door-to-door service, personal healthcare team and in-person physician consultations. English-speaking medical staff and individual translation services for international patient.
- Taiwanese people are extremely helpful and friendly to foreigners. In Taiwan, you will be safe even as a female solo traveler. You probably will not experience any violence or theft.
- Moreover, Taiwan is ranked no.3 with Muslim-friendly travel environment among the world’s non-OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) countries, according to MasterCard-Crescent Rating’s 2019 Global Muslim Travel Index.
- Excellent follow-up programs
- The follow-up programs are extremely smooth and effective, to guarantee that the patients have the best rehabilitation and recovery programs as well as the best treatment beforehand.
- In most hospitals, patients are provided with a personal health manager who is responsible for them during the recovery phase.
- Easy to travel
- Visitors from countries including Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, The United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union can visit Taiwan without an official VISA. (Check here: Do I Need Visa for Taiwan?)
- Taipei City, the capital city is well connected to most major airports in the world. As a famous layover destination, you will not experience any trouble in reaching Taiwan.
- The cost for daily expenses and accommodations are affordable as well, which is another attractive feature. (Check here: A Quick Overview of Taiwan’s Currency and Tax Refund)
How Affordable?
Let’s put in mathematical perspective, a typical hip joint replacement surgery probably cost about 7,000 USD in Taiwan, a stunning 17% of the price for the same surgery in the USA, 22% in the UK, 50% in Thailand, with the same success rate and quality. What’s more, a heart bypass surgery in Taiwan would cost around 22,000 USD, which is merely 18% of the expenditure in the USA.
| Treatment | Cost in USD (approx) |
| Angioplasty | 6800 |
| Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery | 27500 |
| Bypass Surgery with Heart Valve Replacement | 30000 |
| Hip Joint Replacement | 7000 |
| Knee Replacement | 10000 |
| Hysterectomy | 2250 |
| Face Lift | 1000 |
| Dental Fillings | 30 |
| Gastric Bypass | 10000 |
| Living Donor Liver Transplant | 90000 |
| Extractions | 50 |
| Physical Check-up | 450 |
Source: MedHalt
Visa Requirements?
Taiwan’s government requires all medical tourists to apply for visas before their departure. If you are planning to visit Taiwan for medical purposes, go to Taiwan Consulate in your country is a must. Here’s the chart of details:
| Requirements | Description |
| 1. Completed & signed application form | Please click here to fill out application form online and print it out. |
| 2. Two passport-size photos in color within 6 months | Photos with a white color background |
| 3. Passport (original & photocopy) | Valid for 6 months with blank pages |
| 4. Evidence of documents | Bank statement or payment plan consented by Taiwan Medical institutions、diagnosis、proposal of treatment from Taiwan Medical institutions、letter for visa application |
| 5. Travel Itinerary | |
| 6. Return Ticket | Ticket, electronic ticket or proof of a travel agency |
| 7. Other additional documents may be required during processing |
If you have any further question, please fill out the form below!
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