Taiwan medical tourism - A pipe dream unless marketing improves :: BiotechEast - Taiwan and China biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, ^¤å½s×, ^¤å×§ï ::

(Op/Ed - BiotechEast staff)

26 June, 2008

"Taiwan cares your health" -- The slogan on the website of the official medical tourism promotion organization at www.medicaltravel.org.tw pretty much sums up exactly what's wrong with Taiwan's plan to promote itself as an international medical tourism destination.

[UPDATE: Did we make a difference? We'd like to think so! As of November 2008 the slogan now reads "Taiwan cares for your health". Not quite yet marketing brilliance but at least it's no longer Chinglish!]

If you're sloppy about getting even the most basic slogan grammatically correct, the impression is that you're also going to be sloppy with health care. And sloppy is the last impression you want to be giving someone who's considering putting their life in your hands on the operating table. And we wonder why patients are booking trips to Bangkok for that tummy tuck instead.

It's all about marketing, and lack of attention to this most basic of business requirements has Taiwan in danger of falling too far behind to ever catch up to the likes of Thailand, Singapore, Korea and India in capturing the attention of the global medical patient; that individual born of the modern era of globalism, looking to combine travel, adventure and tourism with, say, low-cost LASIK eye surgery.

While the official line is "full steam ahead", the reality is that there's little to show for all the effort, and spending, to date.

Initial government enthusiasm for the concept began with 2004's 'Health Tourism Guidance Task Force in Taiwan,' and continued with funding to the tune of NT$10.5 billion (US$34 million) issued in July 2007 for marketing and development projects to promote the island's medical services abroad.

According to the Executive Yuan, the project was expected to draw 100,000 patients in three years and create about 3,500 job opportunities.

Apparently, however, the project never really took off.

"The yield (of the project) is almost zero," a travel agency manager in charge of promoting medical tourism claimed in a recent news report on the topic (Taiwan urged to focus on medical tourism).

Only a small number of Chinese patients have come to Taiwan for medical services since the project was launched, this industry insider claimed. Although these numbers may improve with the prospect of direct flights between Taiwan and China starting in July, don't hold your breath.

These comments beg the question: Is Taiwan really looking to attract the full spectrum of international medical tourist, or are we limiting ourselves to the Mandarin speaker only?

Realistically, given the country's strengths and advantages, or lack thereof, can Taiwan compete internationally? Just how does Taiwan go about grabbing a bigger piece of the international medical tourist market, a business estimated be worth between US$40 to US$60 billion annually?

Singapore, for example, attracts patients with anti-aging cosmetic surgery and the lure of comparatively cheaper medical exams, appealing particularly to visitors from India and Malaysia. There's more however; a visit to the Singapore medical tourism website portal at www.singaporemedical.com unveils a comprehensive range of treatments available with average costs for the expectant patient's reference. Their promotion seems to be working: Singapore had over 400,000 foreign nationals visit as patients in 2005, earning the island nation nearly US$1.5 billion in the process.

According to Taiwan's CEPD, the island's strengths include liver disease treatment, dentistry, facial reconstruction, Chinese medicine and health checkups. Realistically, with the island's extensive and modern medical resources, the list should be longer than this. There's no reason why cosmetic surgery, cardiovascular surgery, orthopedic procedures and cancer treatment, to name just a few areas where Taiwan has world-class capabilities, can't be added.

The answer is yes, Taiwan offers value, world-class doctors and top-notch facilities, and, yes, it can compete for the medical tourist dollar.

There's no doubting the high standard of medical care in Taiwan, and the skill and dedication of the island's tireless crew of doctors, dentists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. And all provided to the patient at a fraction of the cost of similar treatment in the West. Nearly all doctors are fluent in English, or near enough, and their training by all accounts is to an international standard.

With such advantages, Taiwan would be foolish not to aim high and target medical tourists from all countries and not just overseas Chinese.

But Taiwan will never capitalize on these very real strengths unless someone competent enough takes this sleeping giant by the scruff of the neck and shakes it awake! It's about the marketing; the patients--and the money--are out there; it's just a matter of some smart promotion and getting the little things right.

Like, for example, using correct English in your marketing slogans.

[Postscript: And if you don't think there's a marketing or image perception problem with Taiwan's medical tourism efforts, simply compare Singapore's medical tourism website portal SingaporeMedicine with the local effort at Taiwan cares your health [sic].]

[UPDATE: 20 November, 2008: Did we make a difference? As of November 2008 the slogan now reads "Taiwan cares for your health". Not quite yet marketing brilliance but at least it's no longer Chinglish... Ed.]

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