Post-pandemic, international medical tourism is seen as a new growth opportunity for Taiwan's medical institutions. Since 2022, China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) has successfully implemented the Ministry of Health and Welfare's New Southbound Policy, expanding specialized medical care including cancer cell therapy to Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, significantly attracting international medical traffic. Superintendent Der-Yang Cho of CMUH mentioned that in 2023, compared to the previous year (including health checkups), patient numbers from Malaysia increased by 256 times, and from Brunei by 47 times. Besides benefiting the hospital, attracting numerous international patients also generates significant benefits for medical tourism in Taichung City, and facilitates international expansion for Taiwanese medical manufacturers.
In the third year of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's New Southbound medical cooperation and industrial development plan, China Medical University Hospital, with the witness of Wu, Ling-Ying, Assistant Director General of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan (right 2), and Dr. Chih-Kun Huang, Superintendent of the International Center (right 3), signed an MOU with Prof. Dr. Abdul Aziz Baba, Vice–Chancellor of the International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia (left 3), in Kuala Lumpur. This collaboration aims to promote exchanges and cooperation in medical research, talent training, and the medical industry.
Before the pandemic, mainland China had the highest proportion of international medical tourists. However, due to various unfavorable factors affecting cross-strait relations, this has been surpassed by New Southbound countries. Thanks to the promotion of the New Southbound Policy, CMUH has extended its specialized medical care to Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Sabah) and Brunei, resulting in a noticeable increase in health checkups and disease treatments. Treatments including brain cancer therapy, minimally invasive cardiac procedures for various cardiovascular diseases (atrial fibrillation, arrhythmia, aortic valve replacement, peripheral vascular occlusion, etc.), non-invasive treatment for severe tremors using " MRgFUS (Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound)," and minimally invasive surgery for skull base tumors have helped many critically ill patients in Malaysia, enhancing CMUH's reputation in the country.
China Medical University Hospital drives the Ministry of Health and Welfare's New Southbound medical cooperation and industrial development by partnering with Wistron (Keeogo) and imedtac to participate in the “2024 Next Generation of Care: Merging Healthcare & Technology Conference” held in Kuala Lumpur. The exhibition attracted YBhg. Datuk Dr. Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, Director-General of the Ministry of Health(MOH), Malaysia (left 3), and Wu, Ling-Ying, Assistant Director General of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan (left 1), to visit the booth and observe the demonstration of Keeogo's lower limb exoskeleton robot (right 1)