Taiwan makes medical insurance mandatory for Chinese tourists

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Chinese tourists will from October not be able to obtain entry permits to Taiwan if they do not enclose in their applications valid documents proving they have purchased insurance covering unexpected illnesses or injuries sustained while traveling in Taiwan, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.

The bureau said the new regulations are contained in the amended Regulations Governing Permits for People from the Mainland Area Engaging in Tourism Activities in Taiwan, adding that the policy would take effect on Oct. 1.

Tourism Bureau statistics show that more than 11 million Chinese tourists visited the nation in the past few years.

While the increase in tourists coming from the other side of the Taiwan Strait has boosted the nation’s tourism revenue, the bureau said that it has created other issues, including the in rise in medical service charges owed by Chinese tourists.

The bureau said that Taiwanese travel agencies volunteered to pay the medical bills on behalf of their clients when the government had just relaxed its policy on Chinese tourists.

However, they have gradually stopped picking up the tab because many Chinese tourists refused to pay what they owed after they left hospital, the bureau said.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the accumulated medical fees owed by Chinese tourists have reached NT$5 million (US$160,256) in the past five years.

The bills topped NT$4 million last year alone.

Travel Quality Assurance Association in Taiwan secretary-general Chen Yi-chuan said travel agencies are obligated to purchase liability insurance covering NT$2 million for each tourist.

Defaults on medical bills usually occur after the tourists check out of hospital, he said.