Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday urged the central government to postpone and reconsider its policy on easing border restrictions for some medical tourists starting on Saturday.
Citing the stability of the local COVID-19 situation, the Central Epidemic Command Center on Wednesday last week announced that starting on Saturday, foreign medical patients could apply for treatment in Taiwan, except for those with non-urgent medical needs, such as physical examinations and aesthetic medicine.
On March 19, border controls were tightened due to the coronavirus, restricting the entry of non-Taiwanese and interrupting treatments for some foreigners, as they were no longer able to travel to Taiwan, the center said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Many healthcare workers, as well as other members of the public, are “very concerned” about the policy, Chiang told a news conference in Taipei yesterday, adding that the announcement resulted in a backlash from medical personnel.
Many people have doubts about the government introducing the policy when the COVID-19 situation abroad is still serious, he said.
Chiang asked whether the safety of Taiwanese and the nation’s frontline medical staff should be risked for the healthcare rights of foreign patients.
He questioned whether there had been sufficient communication with healthcare workers to reach a consensus, and whether adequate measures were being taken to support the policy.
The central government should more clearly explain the policy, he said, adding that it should reveal estimates of how many foreign patients would be entering under the policy, from which nations and for what treatments.
Chiang called on the Ministry of Health and Welfare to postpone the policy’s implementation until there has been more communication and preparation.
KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) asked whether there were diplomatic or economic factors behind the ministry’s decision to allow foreign medical patients entry at this time.
The ministry should listen to the voices of the nation’s frontline medical workers, she said, urging the ministry to reconsider the policy.
Taiwan Medical Alliance for Labor Justice and Patient Safety representative Chien Li-chien (簡立建) said that before announcing such policies, the government should communicate with the nation’s frontline medical workers.
Taiwan Union of Nurses Association standing director Lin Hsiu-chu (林?珠) said there would be gray areas involved in granting foreign patients entry, as definitions might vary for aesthetic procedures and physical examinations.
Nationality is not important when helping patients, but it is crucial to protect the nation’s medical personnel and healthcare resources, she said.
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