I recently had a series of tests on my heart to rule out any serious problems. Luckily it was found that what I have is extremely benign and common, but my doctor wants me to get an echocardiograph (a sonogram on your heart) once a year for the next couple of years just in case. The problem is that I will be in Taiwan (specifically Taipei) the next couple of years.
Does anyone have any experience getting an echocardiograph in Taiwan? Is there a decent amount of English speaking doctors that I could see? I can get by in Mandarin right now but getting an echo and all that would be a bit beyond me, and I obviously can’t really afford to fly all the way back to the United States for a doctor’s appointment. Also, has anyone had any experience in getting information back to their doctors in their respective home country?
[quote=“Paratus”]I recently had a series of tests on my heart to rule out any serious problems. Luckily it was found that what I have is extremely benign and common, but my doctor wants me to get an echocardiograph (a sonogram on your heart) once a year for the next couple of years just in case. The problem is that I will be in Taiwan (specifically Taipei) the next couple of years.
Does anyone have any experience getting an echocardiograph in Taiwan? Is there a decent amount of English speaking doctors that I could see? I can get by in Mandarin right now but getting an echo and all that would be a bit beyond me, and I obviously can’t really afford to fly all the way back to the United States for a doctor’s appointment. Also, has anyone had any experience in getting information back to their doctors in their respective home country?
Any and all information is much appreciated.[/quote]
A lot of doctors speak English at Tai Da (but I don’t like that hospital). From what I gather on this forum, Shin Kong is a hospital that has English-speaking staff, too, as they cater to medical tourists. Here’s their website: skh.org.tw/
When a loved one was hospitalized here, I wanted to get the records for the doctors back home. The records department said the file was mostly in English (there were a few Chinese words and phrases here and there). I’m not sure if all hospitals do that, though, and I don’t know if hospitals ship information directly to your doctors back home for you. I picked mine up manually and mailed them myself. Hope this helps a little!
Yep, Shing Kong has a special package, and you can get both brain and heart PET there -just to check all pipes are clear.
In general terms, they are pretty good and have lots of practice related to heart issues here in Taiwan hospitals. Most major hospitals have the latest gadgets.
Hospitals here keeep medical records in English. It was until a couple of years ago that they started introducing them in English.
I’ve brought test results from home for comparison -and they are in Spanish! So feel free to bring your records in English, the numbers will be the same here and there. I copied my results from here, and send them to my brother doc, who promtly scolded me for the same reasons as the Taiwanese doctor, so, I guess they both can understand and see the same thing. :s