Taiwan offers the cheapest and best medical facilities for expatriates compared with any other country, according to a recent poll that surveyed expatriates from more than 100 countries.
“Nearly seven in 10 expats in Taiwan say they spend less on healthcare than they used to before moving — compared with a global average of just three in 10,” the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing the results of HSBC’s latest Expat Explorer survey.
In terms of quality, about 66 percent say they enjoy a higher quality of healthcare in Taiwan than they did at home, which is against a global average of less than four in 10.
“Taiwan is joined by the select few countries of [the] UK, Thailand, Japan and Saudi Arabia offering high-quality, affordable healthcare for expats,” the survey report said.
On the opposite side of the scale, expats in Brazil, New Zealand, Ireland and the US complained about expensive and poor-quality healthcare, the Telegraph said.
The survey was conducted in April and May, and a total of 9,288 expats from more than 100 countries took part in an online questionnaire.
“The Taiwanese healthcare system is coveted by healthcare tourists around the world, but its simple rules for expats and provisions for health insurance are what distinguish it from the pack in this year’s Expat Explorer survey,” the survey said. “Upon relocation, all expats and their employers are required to register with the National Health Insurance system, which grants them access to medical and dental care.”
“Contrary to how many expats feel about the paperwork involved with getting enrolled onto local health care systems, nearly seven in 10 [69 percent] expats in Taiwan agree that organizing health insurance is relatively easy compared to a global average of 55 percent who said the same,” the report said.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office says in its guide to Taiwan: “Taiwan has adequate health and dental facilities to handle routine, emergency and outpatient treatment.”
The National Health Insurance program has won international praise since its implementation in 1995.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
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