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Chinese FITs could
cause problems for hospitals
By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
Different expectations about medical services in Taiwan and China could
represent a great challenge for Taiwan with the Chinese free independent
travelers (FIT) program, a cross-strait medical service provider said yesterday.
¡§More than a reasonable fraction of hospitalized Chinese tourists intentionally
extend their stay in Taiwanese hospitals, which have long been known for
top-notch medical services,¡¨ International SOS general manager Keynes Chen (³¯·¢´Ó)
said.
¡§They even invited family members and relatives to come to Taiwan and visit them
in hospital so they could brag about it,¡¨ he said.
Meanwhile, most Taiwanese clients of the international healthcare and security
company asked to return home as soon as possible after falling ill in China,
Chen said.
Following the launch of the FIT program on June 28, an increasing number of
Chinese tourists could mean more trouble for Taiwanese hospitals, which have had
difficulty collecting medical bills from Chinese patients, Chen said.
Although he did not have the numbers for uncollected debt from Chinese patients,
Chen said the number could be ¡§alarming.¡¨
The insurance coverage rate in Taiwan reaches 200 percent, which means two
premiums for every citizen, Chen said. In China, the coverage rate is about 10
percent, which explains why the medical debt in China is so high, he said.
In negotiations with China, Taiwan has requested that Chinese travelers purchase
overseas travel insurance to ensure medical bills will be paid if they are
admitted to a hospital, Bureau of Medical Affairs Director-General Shih Chung-liang
(¥Û±R¨}) said before the first group of FITs arrived.
However, Shih said both sides failed to reach agreement during the sixth round
of negotiations between Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung
(¦¿¤ş©[) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen
Yunlin (³¯¶³ªL).
Taiwan will make the request again during a working group meeting this month or
next to discuss the Cross-Strait Agreement on Medical and Health Cooperation,
which was signed in December.
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