Archives of Health Science Review Article Medical Tourism: The Critical Role between Taiwan and Mainland China Hsiang-Chun Lin MS1,2, Kong-Sang Wan, MD, PhD*3,4 1Department of Geography, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan 2Department of Hotel Management, Jinwen University of Science and Technology Taiwan 3Department of Pediatrics, Country Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan 4Department of Pediatrics, Taipei City Hospital, Renai branch, Taiwan *Corresponding Author: Kong-Sang Wan, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Country Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan Abstract Recent evidence showed that the International Medical Tourism conference held in Shanghai reported there are 12million outbound medical tourists each year in the whole world, which increased about 15% to 25% per year. Databases were systematically searched between 2010 and 2012 and 60 papers were selected for review. (Fig.1, Fig.2). About 50-60 thousand Chinese go oversea for medical treatment not including the health examination and plastic surgery. Moreover, the target Asia countries are India and Thailand because they provide more cheaper medical services. There are lots of Chinese individuals came to Taiwan searching medical evaluation and therapy about that time. However, due to the political policy changed that the Chinese people are prohibited to come to Taiwan individually, therefore, the medical tourism were marked reduced. In the meantime, China tries to develop inbound and outbound medical tourism themselves and providing more cheaper and quality medical treatment and health examination. Key words: Medical tourism, benefits, risks, Political policy, Taiwan, China Figure1: Theoretical model of medical tourism decision-making. Note the unidirectional arrows which indicate the complexity of the relationships between the factors in the model. Cited from Sultan Qaboos University Med Journal. 2017: Vol.17, Iss 1. Archives of Health Science 1 Medical Tourism: The Critical Role between Taiwan and Mainland China Introduction anywhere in the world, often combined with topical vacation, treatments of a non-acute, Paul Krugman, winner of the 2008 voluntary nature and are driven largely by Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, high price and long waiting lists at the home has highly praised Taiwan’s NHI system.1 He countries and low prices and high service implies that Taiwan, being one of the Asian quality at the destination country.4In countries with renowned medical care, has Taiwan, MT is a new strategies for health the potential to be a successful Medical care industry2 The quality of service for Tourism (MT) destination, and NHI system medical tourism in Taiwan including the makes it more likely for Taiwan to capability of the service provider to provide successfully develop MT service.2 Moreover, committed MT services reliably and the Government of Taiwan internationalized accurately, facility service providers in the health care industry. This strategy not conjunction with the services provided, the only expanded the market size of Taiwan’s cordial and polite attitude of the service health care industry, but also booster its provider eliciting a sense of trust from the presence worldwide. The accreditation of customer, the professional ability of medical 13 Taiwanese hospitals by the Joint personnel in hospital and reliability of Commission International demonstrates service provider were mostly improved5The that their medical quality has reached above 4 points are needed to continue and international standards, enabling the maintain in the MT processing process. country to complete in global health care However, it should also focus on the business and promote Taiwan’s excellent importance of cost-effectivensss.6It is medical techniques. Foreigners who arrive because the provision of MT varies and the at the international health care industry research is required on volume, cost, patient park have access to high-quality health care motivation, industry and on long term services while also enjoying the country’s health outcomes in MT.7 Under by the famous natural spots and historical sites. increase and overgrowth in MT, the We believe that MT will help boost Taiwan’s Government’s role in regulation of the MT economy. should focus on the patient safety, economic growth and health equity can be protected, Recent trends document growth in which including the government should MT, the private pursuit of medical regulate MT thought there was interventions abroad.3 Medical Tourism is disagreement as the which government an old phenomenon which has seen a rapid sector should do so and how the increase due to global technological advance, government has not at the time regulated thus enabling people to receive treatment the MT sector nor show great interest in Archives of Health Science 2 Medical Tourism: The Critical Role between Taiwan and Mainland China doing so; and international accreditation emergence of previously controlled or could be used to augment domestic eliminated infectious diseases.12 Residents regulation.8 Also, estimating volume of MT of low-to middle income counties with and cost and benefit is also the important strained or inadequate health system have key point9Moreover, the potential benefit of traveled to other countries in order to travelling across national borders to obtain access procedures not available in their medical treatment include improved care, home countries and to take advantage of decrease coats and reduced waiting times higher quality care elsewhere. In Mongolia, but medical travel involves additional risk, for example, residents are traveling to China, compared to obtaining treatment Japan, Thailand and other Asia countries.13 domestically. Also we must mentioned that the great amount Chinese residents traveled to In conclusion, the successful route Taiwan for medical care before the Chinese of established MT is determined by the prohibit policy started about two years ago. political policy between the two countries and not the benefit and expansion Discussion technological methods. Medical tourism, which involves The Essential Role of Inbound cross-border travel to access private, non- Medical Tourism emergency medical interventions is growing in many Latin American and Asia Inbound Medical Tourism is countries. In 2010, the Government of described as patients from inbound Taiwan internationalized the health care traveling to your country receives medical industry. This strategy not only expanded care, outbound MT is the opposite of the market size of Taiwan’s health care inbound, it is described as patients from industry, but also booster its presence your own country traveling to other worldwide. To assist the health care countries to receive medical care. industry to expand its market size, two The clinical and epidemiological important phases of official strategies need feature cases facilitate timely recognition to be established, which include promote and diagnosis of influenza in febrile the quality and quantity of MT. Moreover, inbound passengers and therefore help the accreditation of 13 Taiwanese hospitals prevent domestic transmission of influenza by the Joint Commission International virus. However, there is little empirical demonstrates that out medical quality has research on the virus of inbound MT, and reached international standards, enabling due to confidentiality and privacy policy, the county to complete in global health care many hospitals declined interviews with business. Therefore, the officials are going foreign patients.10There are shared factors to promote Taiwan’s excellent medical shaping the development of MT in Asia techniques, including techniques for countries that help explain why it is being craniofacial surgery, living donor liver pursued by my hospitals and governments transplantation, total joint arthroplasty in the region. Development of the sector is cardiovascular disease treatment, minimal primarily being driven by public investment access surgery, and assisted reproduction. promotion agencies and the private health Foreigners, especially, the mainland China sector seeking economic benefits with populations, who arrive at the international limited consideration and planning for the health care industry park have access to health equity concerns MT raises.11 high-quality health care services while also enjoying the country’s famous natural spots The Essential Role of Outbound and historical sites. Thus, the MT helps Medical Tourism boost Taiwan’s economy since that time. However, the issues of trust and distrust The outbound MT is described as emerged in ways that ultimately complicate patients from your own country traveling to the physician-patient relationship. Also, the another countries to receive medical care, participants wanted to support patients’ but the ongoing economic and political decision-making about MT, but there were crises or political policy has resulted in a limits to and limitations on the support, and collapse of the health care system and re- while participants expressed a desire to Archives of Health Science 3 Medical Tourism: The Critical Role between Taiwan and Mainland China support patient’s decision-making about [6] Park J, Ahn J, Yoo WS. The Effects of Price MT and to trust in their decision, they also and Health Consciousness and Satisfaction desired to be distanced from the decision on the Medical Tourism Experience. J itself but not the patient. Also, significant Health care Manag. 2017; 62(6):405-417. tension exits between participant’s roles