Taiwan has become the top choice among people in Palau as a medical transfer destination, Palauan Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil said.
Palau used to rely largely on the Philippines, but that has changed since a medical services team from Taipei-based Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital was deployed to the Western Pacific island country 10 years ago, Olkeriil said.
The team gave Palauans a better understanding of Taiwan’s healthcare achievements, she said.
The ambassador said that with the launch of a national health insurance plan in Palau and the presence of the Shin Kong team, an increasing number of Palauans have turned to Taiwan for medical transfers, with about about 95 percent of people who needed to go overseas for medical care in recent years choosing Taiwan, she said.
Palau has long suffered from a lack of medical resources and services, but after the Republic of China and Palau established formal ties in 1999, the two nations intensified exchanges in several fields, such as agriculture, fishing, education, culture, tourism and medical services.
Shin Kong Hospital is in charge of promoting medical exchanges between the two nations.
Comparing Taiwan and the Philippines, Olkeriil said Taiwan has better social order, so patients do not have to worry about their safety when getting treatment here, while Taiwan’s hospitals have a fairer pricing system, with the Philippines’ complicated system resulting in higher overall charges.
Some patients in Palau are flown to Hawaii for medical treatment, but only cases that have research value are accepted, she said.
According to Shin Kong Hospital, because of Palau’s national health insurance coverage, patients transferred to Taiwan only has to pay 20 percent of the medical charges, and three-hour direct flights make transportation convenient.
The Palauan Ministry of Health has staffers stationed in Taipei to provide assistance to people seeking medical care in this nation.
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