They said Taiwan can achieve the goal of becoming a world-class medical care center and listed 10 areas in which Taiwan could have a competitive edge.
They are live liver transplant, bone marrow transplant, cardiovascular medicine, microsurgery and cosmetic surgery, breast magnetic resonance imaging and other advanced medical examinations, knee surgery, brain tumor medicine and immunology therapy, Parkinson's disease diagnosis, cost-efficient medical care and high-quality medical teams.
Ho Mei-yueh, chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, said the council has listed the medical tourism as one of its flagship projects in its three-year economic development plan.
She said the council will integrate government agencies in charge of medical care, tourism, insurance and visa issuance to attract foreigners to Taiwan for low-cost high-quality medical services.
Ho noted that Singapore attracted 150,000 medical tourists in 2000 and that the number had ballooned to 400,000 by 2005. The medical care industry in Thailand created a production value of US$490 million in 2003, attracting 700,000 visitors seeking treatment, she added.
