Dear Sir Donald Bradman
Good day mate, I went to the Renai Hospital as suggested by you from an earlier thread. Thanks, you are right that the physical examination is quite quick, takes about an hour depending upon your bowel system? The reason I chose this was that you mentioned that you needn’t “poo in a cup”, that is true, but you do need give a sample of your poo in a plastic container. I also had to do a urine test, even though on the form it stated it was only for women. Everything is quick apart from the stool test, depending upon yourself, that is how quick your bowels work. So for those thiking they can avoid the stool tests at this hospital, forget the thought, you need to do it. But i still suggest this hospital, as they are quick. The cost is NT$1130 and takes 8 days for them to process.
Good luck to those in need of a pysical exam
Sir Don, thanks for the helpful advice on JFRV, ARC info.
I believe that is only required if your place of employment, i.e. the address of the establishment holding your work visa, is outside of Taipei County. I had friends who had to undergo the same process, but couldn’t figure out why, since they taught in Taipei City proper. Turns out the school was registered in Taipei County, and they were teaching at a Taipei City branch. (Not strictly legal, btw)
Oh, and a pet peeve about Renai hospital that I just posted elsewhere on Segue:[quote]I also hate that the restrooms at Renai Hospital - the place many, many Taipei residents go for their health check - are so dirty. 
It is difficult to manage a coat, briefcase/purse, documents, plastic vials, zipper, and ~ahem~ other necessary accessories at the same time. Also, the fact that one’s hands are full almost precludes one from washing one’s hands afterwards. I did, but I noticed that the three gentlemen ahead of me did not, wiped their hands on their trousers and then went to the counter to sign some forms using the pen provided. :shock: When it was my turn, I used my own pen, natch. 
[/quote]
That is strange. I certainly didn’t have to provide a stool sample (urine yes), and that was only three months ago. Possible explanations:
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Maoman’s right and you do if you’re outside Taipei City or County.
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You don’t for JFRV but do for other visas
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You don’t if you already have an ARC and are renewing or changing to a different one
Brian
I can’t explain myself, why they required me to do a stool test when you both state that it is not necessary when applying for the JRFV. Which is what i was doing the Test for. My wife asked for the form & the lady receptionist informed my wife that that was the form for foreigners. Even asking the question on whether I need to do the stool test, she said I did 
Well if you could explain possible reason why, it’ll be appreciated. Any why thanks for the info, always good to better informed especially in a foreign country in a language other than english.
I also took the test for an JFRV had to do the stool test as it is a mandatory topic on the report form.
I had mine done in my home country (didn’t want to go to these overcrowded chicken cages in Taiwan) and according to the Taiwan overseas office, I had to be tested for…
-parasites (poo in cup …, not really because in the hospital they gave me a cup with a poop-scooper to do it at home),
pee in a cup (diabetes),
-HIV,
-syphilis and other STD’s,
-malaria,
-amphetamines,
-yellow fever and some other weird diseases
-a full physical exam (weight, length, eyes, …)
-and … genitals (they just asked me if all was normal, I told them, that they were still there)
etc…
All off this took about 30 min., got the results back within 5 days as I told them it was urgent.
Than I had the papers verified and stamped at the Taiwan Office.
The above was for the JFRV.
And… I’m happy I didn’t have to go in Taiwan.
When I went for my last medical, the nurse asked me if I was married. I politely queried “why?”, and she responded that because I was single, I would need to have an AIDS test… I got the impression that it would be a more detailed screening than if I was married.
I had to summons all of my inner “qi” (the same strength that naturally protects me from being infected by transmittable diseases that I might otherwise be exposed to while promiscuously having unprotected sex with many partners) to prevent a barrage of abuse from flying out… “Wankers”, I thought.
But, the icing on the cake had to be when the old Chinese guy standing beside me (well into his 70’s) was asked to do the piss-test. The nurse politely demonstrated - with a nice range of motions, and a lot of pointing at the little bottle - exactly what he needed to do, but he still seemed a little confused (hey, don’t we all get this way when it’s time for the medical?) and so he asked her why he needed to go ahead with such a procedure. She responded that it was for a drug (amphetamine) test which he was required to undergo… I thought the poor bastard was going to have a heart attack, but he composed himself pretty well - for all of the 5 seconds that it took for him to actually omprehend what was going on - and then let his feelings fly… but all to no avail.
After 5 minutes of remonstrating, the nurse was still repeating the same old tired motions and barking out the same inane instructions to the same old tired man. And so, off he trudged, to the dirty bathroom, where there’s enough urine and faeces hangin’ off the walls to create your own sample without even offering that which is truly yours… to do the piss test.
In my opinion, it’s farking hypocritical and ridiculous.
The Big Babou.
I did it last week. She asked me “what kind of visa?” Spouse visa sweatheart. Well then you can just piss into this and shit into that, then we’ll suck some blood out’ve ya. Thanks princess. Pissed me right off, as I live over the road from a hossy on the acceptable list, but went to renai cause I didn’t really want to crap into a bloody plastic cup.