Taiwan - Taiwan targets Japanese and Chinese medical tourists

Groups of Japanese medical tourists can now take a direct charter flight from Komatsu, Japan to Taiwan.

Groups tend to visit some of the ancient city's well-known historical sites such as Anping Fort and the Tainan Grand Matsu Temple, and go to the city's leading hospitals for medical treatment.

Taiwan is set to let mainland Chinese visit the island purely for physical examinations or medical treatment without the necessity of fitting their journeys into tourism itineraries, announced the National Immigration Agency (NIA).

Under the new regulation, Chinese nationals can cite health checkups and medical cosmetology services as the purpose of travel when applying for an entry permit for Taiwan. Visitors 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. After receiving the medical services, mainland visitors have to leave the country with the same groups they entered with or leave within the allotted time under the individual travel programme, which is currently only open to residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen after a relaxation in rules in June 2011.

Hsieh Li-kung of the NIA said the new policy will bring more mainland people to Taiwan for medical services and will boost the business of the local medical sector and the traditional tourism industry. NIA 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 travellers from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau amounted to NT$60 million in 2010.

The new open policy will help significantly boost the revenues for medical centres and larger hospitals in Taiwan.

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 can be completed within four hours, including on holidays.

Source: http://www.immigration.gov.tw/mp.asp?mp=2

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