Many foreigners in Taiwan may find seeking medical treatment in Taiwan a frustrating experience, like one foreign visitor to the Municipal Jen-Ai Hospital (仁愛醫院) last month.
The hospital was not yet equipped with English signage and the young British man was unable to figure out which of the four lines he should stand in at the hospital's pharmacy, until someone in the line he chose told him to switch lines.
As part of the city government's policy to turn Taipei into a more friendly city for international visitors, three of the 12 municipal hospitals and medical institutes in the metropolitan area are instituting trial bilingual services, expected to be fully operational by the end of December.
The three public hospitals and health institutes that have started preparing to provide bilingual services are Jen-Ai (仁愛醫院), Taipei Municipal Yang-Ming Hospital (陽明醫院) and the public health clinic in Taipei's Shilin District (士林衛生所).
The bureau said the three hospitals were chosen to serve as reference points for the subsequent adoption of bilingual programs in other municipal hospitals because they are located close to commercial and residential areas where many foreigners in Taipei work, visit or stay. Future bilingual programs at other hospitals may be modified in accordance with findings from the trials.
"Foreigners in Taiwan are not necessarily on high incomes," said a bureau technician Helen Chen (
She said that many tourists who suddenly fall ill might also seek the help of municipal hospitals in accordance with the advice in guidebooks provided by the government for travelers.
A secretary at the Yang-Ming Hospital, surnamed Wang (
"Besides, tests to screen certain diseases from specific countries are often only available in public medical institutions. Private hospitals may not provide the service on the grounds they would not make any money due to the shortage of cases," he added.
Anna Chen, secretary of Taipei City Government's protocol office, said foreigners have complained about Taipei's shortcomings in providing English language services for foreign visitors.
Many cities, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, have impressed them with their systematic bilingual services.
"The Taipei City Government therefore responded to the complaints and started to prepare to establish bilingual services in government agencies from the end of last year," said the secretary. "We hope private organizations will follow suit."
The bilingual service, according to the health bureau, will include the provision of English signs and forms. Automated telephone information and Web site information at these hospitals is also to be available in English.
Municipal hospitals are now asked to have a database of staff capable of using foreign languages to assist in the project.
The health bureau also plans to ask staff of municipal hospitals to participate in English conversation courses provided by the government for public servants. It is also suggesting to hospitals that they have their staff receive further training in medical English.
All three of the hospitals involved in the trials are on schedule to have their bilingual services fully operational before the end of December.
But Jen-Ai Hospital complained that currently there is no uniform system of translation. "If the government decides later that there should be some standard, we will have to spend more on modifications," said the hospital.
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