Good, English-speaking hospital in Kaohsiung?

I was thinking of doing some medical tourism here in the form of getting my physical and general checkup done while I’m here in kaohsiung, and am wondering if there are any good hospitals you’d recommend for that - with doctors who speak English well, do a good job, and hopefully within a hospital that is nicer.

Last year I got a dentist recommendation from here which turned out good so I hope there are also some good hospitals for me.

I have heard good reports about Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. I have attended conferences there and found the overall English proficiency of their faculty to be quite high. I have also collaborated with one of their doctors in publishing research papers and rank his English comprehension as highly proficient.

https://www.kmuh.org.tw/english/

(edited to remove a misguided rant)

1 Like

ditto that.
go to that one.

1 Like

I don’t think medical tourism is a drain on our services.
Though very affordable by Western standards, these hospitals make extra money by taking foreign patients.
A few of these hospitals have VIP services where I believe that they get full American standard nursing care.
The service that we normal people choose unfortunately doesn’t include any perks such as sponge baths and other treatments.
We have to have family members sleeping in the little bed next to us to take care of our everyday needs or hire a social worker.

2 Likes

Wow, double recommendation! Seems promising, I will have a look.

@DrewC @KHHville any opinions?

I plan to avoid hospitals for the near term due to coronavirus (both fears of catching and not wanting to add to any burden) but really hope to go in the next couple of months.

1 Like

You’ve got this one backwards.

By offering medical tourism it offers a huge relief valve for the public sector. It’s cash being injected into the hospital that goes to subsidize other services.

1 Like

My bad! Apologies to the OP. I jumped to conclusions, possibly due to being in a negative state of mind. I have heard of people who come to Taiwan and find a job at a cram school, get their ARC, and within two weeks have NHI Health Care coverage. With this they undergo very extensive dental procedures or other surgeries or other medical treatments. Those cases, and I have heard of several, had no intention of actually staying and working in Taiwan but came only to get the cheap procedures done under our Healthcare. As such, as soon as they finished receiving treatment they leave the country, abandon their job and their students, and go back home.

Based on your feedback I did some research and found that actually the health care in Taiwan is relatively cheap (even uninsured) compared to many countries, and that so-called “medical tourists” pay out of pocket cash. Definitely this is a good thing for hospitals in Taiwan. Thanks for leading me in the right direction to understand this issue more clearly. I will adjust my post accordingly. Thank you!

1 Like

Yes, it is a good one down south here.
Take my children there, and the missus has had surgery there.

Yeah, I want to pay dollars for doctors.

Wasn’t even aware that kind of exploitative stuff happened

1 Like

I also triple recommend KMU, their faculty is top class.

Yes thanks for correcting your views after research. There’s a good one in Taichung that does hip replacements. Also many IVF places.

1 Like

Yes.
Very sad to hear you no longer are a member of Taiwan’s cha-cha-cha dance association.

1 Like

Are tourists allowed entry to hospitals now?
Last I read on these forums, they are only allowing in those with NHI cards. Would they have to go to ER and waste a valuable service for something a specialist doctor or administrator should only see - booking tests, follow up appointments, repeat prescriptions, obtaining medical records and so on?