‘Travel bubble’ to help Palauans seeking medical services in Taiwan

Taipei, March 29 (CNA) The approaching “vacation bubble” arrangement amongst Taiwan and Palau will gain Palauan inhabitants who want access to health-related solutions abroad, Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. was quoted as saying by a Taiwanese hospital administrator Monday.

Whipps arrived in Taiwan on Sunday afternoon for a 5-working day go to.

On the past day of his stop by, he will start a “vacation bubble,” which will allow for individuals from each state to visit the other with fewer COVID-19-similar limitations, and consider the to start with flight less than the initiative back again to Palau.

As part of his itinerary in Taiwan, Whipps experienced a professional medical checkup Monday early morning at the Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Clinic, together with a positron emission tomography (PET) scan.

Whipps remaining the medical center for his up coming activity immediately after a quick photograph opportunity of him getting souvenirs from large-amount directors of the healthcare facility.

Whipps did not handle the media, but Hung Tzu-jen (洪子仁), the hospital’s deputy superintendent, claimed the visiting president toured the hospital’s services and explained Taiwan’s professional medical specifications as “superb.”

On the travel bubble, Whipps explained that aside from its economic benefits, it will also open up a “medical corridor” for sufferers in Palau who request healthcare awareness in Taiwan, according to Hung.

“Over the past year, Palauan sufferers who wished to be handled in Taiwan confronted a large amount of obstructions. Now, the travel bubble will all over again enable them to take a look at Taiwan extra conveniently,” Hung claimed, quoting Whipps.

Palau, just one of Taiwan’s 15 diplomatic allies, has not had any confirmed situations of COVID-19 due to the fact the begin of the pandemic, in accordance to Entire world Well being Organization info.

Taiwan has recorded 1,023 situations with 10 fatalities, according to official statistics as of Monday.

In 2008, Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Medical center signed an agreement on a healthcare referral plan with Palau to help the Pacific state, which has only just one clinic and various tiny clinics inside of its territory, to meet its citizens’ professional medical demands.

The plan was officially introduced 5 several years later, and to date the healthcare facility has cared for extra than 4,000 individuals from Palau, quite a few with challenging circumstances, according to Hung.

Since the pandemic erupted past 12 months, as lots of as 120 Palauan nationals have sought remedy in Taiwan following getting constitution flights, Hung explained in an interview with CNA on Saturday.

There had been no Palauan individuals in the clinic prior to Whipps go to, but about 10 persons flew into Taiwan with the president to get cure there and had been promptly put into isolation Sunday in accordance with COVID-19 prevention protocols.

Palauan nationals who get actual physical exams in Taiwan get a US$500 subsidy from the Pacific nation’s heath insurance coverage plan for their treatment, Hung reported.

(By Yu Hsiao-han, Chang Ming-hsuan and Emerson Lim)

Enditem/ls