Скачать или смотреть New Southbound Policy: exporting Taiwan’s healthcare industry to Southeast Asia

Taiwan has been embarking on a southbound journey ever since the 1990s. This is because the nation’s leaders since former president Lee Teng-hui have come to realize Taiwan’s over-dependence on China, and they also wanted to increase the nation’s economic and political influence in ASEAN countries. When she came into office in 2016, President Tsai Ing-wen introduced the New Southbound Policy, in which a health and welfare program would foster further exchanges with nations in Southeast Asia. In the post-pandemic age, medical technology has become more important than ever. Can Taiwan meet the demand by offering the supply in its attempt to enter the Southeast Asian market? Our Sunday special report.

Here in the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, a class on how to perform surgery is being held. This happens to be Asia’s largest cram school for minimally invasive surgeries.

Wayne Huang Shi-wei
Minimally Invasive Surgeries Training Center
Before the pandemic, these classes had many international students. About half the students were from overseas, mostly from places like the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and so on.

Since its founding in 2008, IRCAD [pronounced eer-cad] Taiwan has been offering more than a hundred courses every year. For over 15 years, more than 20,000 students from all over Asia have received training here.

This bespectacled and bookish looking young man is Ting Ik Hon. He’s from the state of Sarawak in northeastern Malaysia. When he was 18, he came by himself to Taiwan, where the language and culture are similar to his home, and pursued a degree in medicine. He later became a doctor at Shin Kong Wu Ho Su Memorial Hospital where he did his residency.

Ting Ik Hon
Medical resident
The current medical situation in Malaysia is that there are a lot of general practitioners. However, few doctors are in specialized fields as there aren’t enough resources to foster specialists. So the general practitioners have to work hard and excel in order to get these resources. In the 10 years I studied in Taiwan, from entering school to now working, I feel quite lucky in that the resources here, especially in learning and work, are abundant.

Like Ting, many foreigners traveled great distances to Taiwan, drawn by its renowned medical technology. Here at Changhua Christian Hospital, two doctors from Papua New Guinea are undergoing short-term training.

Richard Kanawi Kulau
Papuan orthopedic surgeon
I’ve come to Taiwan in only two weeks, I have been able to see that orthopedic surgery in Taiwan is advanced in terms of the surgical practice is now very small incisions, small cuts. It gives me some idea of what is outside, what is currently being practiced in this century.

To Dr. Kulau, Taiwan is a medical mecca. He’s able to make this pilgrimage thanks to the Taiwan government’s Health and Welfare New Southbound Policy Project.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
We want to share resources, talents and markets with other countries, enlarge our economic scale, and make effective use of resources. This is the spirit on which the New Southbound Policy is based. We will have extensive exchanges and cooperation with regional members in various aspects, such as science and technology, culture, and economy and trade.

When she assumed office in 2016, President Tsai presented her New Southbound Policy, effectively incorporating countries in South Asia and Oceania. It was during this time that the idea of a healthcare policy was raised.

John Deng
Minister without portfolio
In the entire New Southbound Policy, we are people-oriented. Of all the tasks we can do, helping patients, treating their illnesses and helping improve the level of local public health are things that can touch people’s hearts the most.

In 2018, the ministry of health launched the One Country, One Center Program. Six Taiwan hospitals were chosen and were assigned to be in charge of six southbound partner nations, arranging medical tours and offering professional training and conducting technical cooperation. In 2022, the program further expanded to become “one country, multiple centers” so that Taiwan’s medical knowhow and service can penetrate more deeply in neighboring countries.

Peter Chang
Show Chuan Memorial Hospital
Vietnam is also looking forward to technology transfer. Our technology and capital can help as we cooperate with their medical people who work with mid- to low-level medical equipment and materials. I think this is something we can develop long-term. We’re not giving them fish, but we teach them how to fish with a fishing pole.

Besides fostering Southeast Asian medical talent, the Health and Welfare New Southbound Policy Project has another goal, to drive the industry and expand t