Taiwan has established its first medical referral platform for patients in the Middle East, with patients already arriving in country for check-ups, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said May 13.
Representatives of Zabeel Group from Dubai, United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the platform with five Taiwan hospitals from across the country: Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan-based Min-Sheng General Hospital, and Cathay General Hospital and Cheng Hsin General Hospital in Taipei City.
The deal follows a February visit to the UAE by a 40-strong delegation from Taiwan, including officials from the ROC Ministry of Health and Welfare, TAITRA and leading medical institutions, and led by MOHW Minister Chiu Wen-ta. The mission’s purpose was to advertize Taiwan’s state-of-the-art medical services and lay the groundwork for the platform.
TAITRA Executive Vice President Walter M. S. Yeh described the deal as a landmark agreement, because UAE citizens were used to going to Europe, South Korea, Thailand or the U.S. for treatment. The latest deal shows they are impressed with Taiwan’s medical technology, he said.
According to the United Daily News, Zabeel Group CEO Fuad Abdul Qader was astonished by the treatment he received last year in Taiwan, after doctors were able to treat a long-standing problem that medics in Germany had claimed was congenital and incurable.
Fuad had suffered pain and numbness in his limbs for more than a decade. After it became worse last year, he sought treatment in Germany, to no avail. Following the advice of a Middle East-based Taiwan business acquaintance, he came to TVGH in November.
A small piece of bone was removed in an operation the next day, curing the problem. The entire procedure only cost NT$300,000 (US$9,900), a fraction of what he would have paid in Europe or the U.S.
According to TAITRA, the UAE is a very promising market for medical referrals. The country has a per capita gross domestic product of more than US$60,000 per year, the sixth highest in the world.
Because of the local diet, a high percentage of the population suffers from chronic ailments such as diabetes and heart disease, and local medical services suffer from a shortfall of doctors and nurses, TAITRA said. Further, direct flights between the two nations make it easy for residents to come to Taiwan for treatment. (SDH)