Taipei  - The first Chinese medical tour group to Taiwan departed Sunday to benefit from the island's advanced medical facilities and techniques.

The inaugural group consists of 30 people from China's southern Guangzhou province. They are to enjoy a six-day tour which combines physical checkups, spa and sightseeing.

The general medical procedures they are to undergo include positron emission tomography (PET) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, X-rays and specific diagnoses required by individual tourists.

Taiwan's medical facilities are among the best in Asia and costs for medical treatments and checkups are much lower than in Europe and the United States.

The medical tour was arranged by four Taiwan hospitals and the Taiwan External Trade Promotion Council with the aim of luring more Chinese residents to visit Taiwan.

The idea of medical tourism originated in Thailand, which has become known for its medical centres that cater to foreign medical tourists.

Taiwan opened its door to Chinese tour groups on July 4, 2008 when Taipei and Beijing launched weekend charter flights.

The two sides expanded the weekend charter flights to daily charter flights in December last year and will turn them into regular flights in August. (dpa)