Taiwan

Taipei skyline

One of the original Four Asia Tigers, Taiwan has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 50 years to become a fully modernized, industrialized nation and a top player in the global economy. While cultural barriers still exist, American visitors will be comforted by the Taiwanese love of basketball and baseball, the proliferation of 24-hour convenience stores, the enthusiastic cheerleading performances, and the ubiquitous billiards and karaoke. Western art forms thrive here (Taiwanese film director Ang Lee produced the Oscar winners Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain.)

Although suffering from pollution and traffic snarls, Taiwan’s principal cities are modern, friendly, and safe, with a brand-new, high-speed bullet-train system connecting the island’s major industrial and population centers.

Situated off the coast of mainland China between South Korea and Hong Kong, Taiwan enjoys a more temperate climate than India, Malaysia, or Singapore—a real plus for many Western medical travelers. Taiwan’s beautiful and wild mountainous region on the east side of the island provides an array of luxury recovery accommodations, vacation attractions, and sight-seeing opportunities.

Taiwan Healthcare and Medical Tourism

Taiwan applies some of the world’s highest healthcare standards, with dozens of new hospitals and clinics, mostly located in Taipei, its capital. Twelve are how JCI-accredited. While medical travelers from nearby Japan are a major market, recent centralized efforts are underway to westernize Taiwan’s health centers and promote medical tourism from the US, UK, and other English-speaking nations.

While US healthcare languishes in an expensive, often counterproductive “heal the sick” mindset, Taiwan’s focus is clearly preventive. Comprehensive healthcare screenings abound, and Taiwan’s close cultural ties to China have produced a wealth of alternative and complementary therapies and procedures.

Cultural and language barriers make the medical travel journey more challenging than counterparts in Southeast Asia. When English can be found, customer service is excellent, at times over-the-top. One example is Chang Bing Show Chwan Health Care Center Park, which boasts a modern art gallery, a children’s museum, and a 200-seat movie theater for patients.

Taiwan’s specialties include cardiology, orthopedics, weight-loss surgery, and fertility treatments. Costs are generally on par with Thailand and Singapore—with savings of 50–60 percent over comparable care in the US.