Taiwan
is set to let mainland Chinese visit the island purely for medical services
like physical examinations or medical treatment without the necessity of
fitting their journeys into tourism itineraries, announced the National
Immigration Agency (NIA) yesterday.
Under the new regulation, Chinese nationals
would be able to cite health checkups and medical cosmetology services as the
purpose of travels when applying for an entry permit for Taiwan.
The visitors coming for medical reasons can
file entry applications via medical institutions in Taiwan.
Existing regulations only allow ordinary
Chinese visitors to receive such services after they enter the country with
tour groups or as individual travelers for tourism purpose.
Chinese medical professionals are also allowed
to visit Taiwan for medical conferences, interchanges, or research purposes.
After receiving the medical services, the
mainland visitors have to leave the country with the same groups they entered
with or leave within the allotted time under the individual travel program,
which is currently only open to residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen under
a program that began in June this year.
NIA Director-General Hsieh Li-kung said the
new policy would bring more mainland people to Taiwan for medical services —
which he called part of Taiwan's soft power — and would boost the business of
the local medical sector and the traditional tourism industry.
Hsieh said his agency has reached a consensus
on the proposal with other government agencies, including the Mainland Affairs
Council, the Department of Health and the Ministry of Justice.
The program will take effect soon pending
approval from the Executive Yuan.
People in China generally have highly positive
impressions about the capability of medical workers and medical facilities in
Taiwan.
The relaxed rules on visits are expected to
bring more Chinese customers to Taiwan in part due to the fact that Mandarin
Chinese is used on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Medical spending by travelers from mainland
China, Hong Kong, and Macau amounted to NT$60 million in 2010.
Medical experts said the new open policy will
help significantly boost the revenues for medical centers and larger hospitals
in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, for humanitarian reasons, the NIA
has shortened the processing time for medical treatment applications from
mainland Chinese people.
In cases concerning people facing
life-threatening situations, entry permits for people on the other side of the
Taiwan Strait could be taken care of within four hours, including on holidays,
Hsieh said.
The China Post news staff
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