One of the most sensational aspects of the Taiwanese healthcare system, considered one of the best in the world, is the ability to “shop” for your specialist doctor. This is what Quebecer Alina Pietilainen did when she became pregnant.
No need to consult a family doctor beforehand: just go to the website of any hospital, where you can read the CVs of all the doctors, and make an appointment directly with the one you we prefer, in just a few clicks.
Less rushed patients take the opportunity to get two or three different opinions.
“I saw four obstetricians, including one who timed seven minutes on his watch before throwing me out because he had too many patients,” says this thirty-year-old who teaches English in the city of Taoyuan.
“I ended up finding one who listened and had a great team, with whom I could communicate at all times.”
Operated in two weeks
“In my in-laws, a person had a brain tumor, and two weeks later she was operated on by a renowned surgeon that she herself chose,” adds another Quebecer, Jonathan Geoffroy, who works in the marketing field in Taipei.
Six years ago, before leaving La Belle Province, Alina Pietilainen had been on the waiting list for an endocrinologist for 18 months. In Taiwan, she was able to see one immediately.
No family doctor
The Taiwanese tend to abuse this extreme accessibility. They go to the doctor on average 14.3 times a year.
“ We don’t feel the need to be on a family doctor’s list like in Quebec, since if we have a problem, we go to the first neighborhood clinic we see and we go straight away. »
Special collaboration photo Rémy Bourdillon
This even ends up distorting the concept of family doctor, laments Hsin-Ju Chen, who practices this profession in a neighborhood clinic.
“ Normally, I should be someone who takes care of his community and acts as a gateway to the health system, he says. But in Taiwan, this is impossible. »
SPECIAL COLLABORATION PHOTO RÉMY BOURDILLON
Among the patients who pass through his office, there are many he will only see once. His job therefore boils down to treating their symptoms, without long-term follow-up.
The NHI, the public insurer, is trying to correct this situation, because excessive visits to the specialist end up costing it dearly. For example, it requires a much lower payment for those who come to the hospital on referral from a general practitioner, but this small incentive is not enough to change habits.
“Everyone thinks their problem requires the intervention of a specialist,” notes Dr. Chen.
Having lived in Taiwan for 14 years, Jonathan Geoffroy claims to have quickly acquired a taste for this health system. “Before COVID, we were thinking of returning to Quebec, with my wife and my two children,” he confides. But the state of the health system there is chilling. We think we will be more easily taken care of here in the event of illness.”