WAITING TIME TO SEE A SPECIALIST , quality of healthcare

Hi I was wondering…if for eg. i was referred to see a stomach specialist or get an MRI? how long would I have to wait for the appointment…cuz in Canada…my stomach specialist appointment is 5 months away…and this is preventing me from going to taiwan…and so i was wondering if it’s just a better idea for me to go to taiwan instead and see a doctor there? Also, are the doctors and health care in general good compared to the health care in Canada? thanks for your input

I’ve had a couple specialist referrals in Taiwan and didn’t have to wait long. Of course, those were acute rather than chronic cases, so waiting wasn’t really an option.

Taiwan has good medical care and it is reasonably priced, especially if you have national health insurance. (If you are legally employed in Taiwan you are required to have NHI.)

I don’t know how serious your stamach condition is, but if you’re on a 5-month waiting list I can only guess that the condition is not imminently life threatening. Still, if you think it’s something that might require surgery, you might want to stay in Canada until it’s resolved. Taiwan has decent surgeons, but who wants to have surgery that far away from home? Also post-op nursing care is a bit different from in the US, at least: often, family members are responsible for feeding, bathing, etc.

If you don’t think surgery is likely, you could probably get adequate care faster by coming out here (assuming, again, that you are legally employed). The frustration factor might be a bit higher here, though, and you are likely to get a more cursory evaluation unless you press your case. We learned that the hard way once. But this is true everywhere, not just in Taiwan.

IMHO.

Good luck!