Health Screening · October 30, 2026

Upper Endoscopy and Colonoscopy in Taiwan: Sedation, Prep, the Exam Day and Price

Through New Dawn Health, an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy in one sedated session costs $499 in Taipei, and an upper endoscopy added to a screening package costs $250. Taiwan has no population gastroscopy programme; its national colorectal screening is a stool test (FIT) every two years at ages 45–74.

An upper endoscopy (gastroscopy) looks at the lining of your esophagus, stomach and duodenum. A colonoscopy looks at the large intestine and rectum. In Taiwan the two are often done back to back under one round of sedation, and through New Dawn Health that combined session costs $499.

This guide covers whether you need either scope, what sedation means, how the bowel prep works, what happens on the day, and what you pay.

Do you need a gastroscopy, a colonoscopy, or both?

They answer different questions, and they are not a universal pair.

Taiwan's national colorectal programme is a stool test, not a scope. The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) offers a free fecal immunochemical test (FIT) once every two years to people aged 45 to 74, and to people aged 40 to 44 with a family history of colorectal cancer. A positive FIT is followed up with a colonoscopy.

Taiwan has no population gastroscopy programme. Its stomach-cancer measure, from 2026, is a one-time H. pylori stool antigen test for people aged 45 to 74. Gastroscopy is chosen for symptoms and individual risk.

Short-term visitors are not covered by Taiwan's National Health Insurance, so screening is self-funded.

	Upper endoscopy (gastroscopy)	Colonoscopy
What it examines	Esophagus, stomach, duodenum	Large intestine (colon) and rectum
Typical reason to book	Symptoms such as reflux, stomach pain or swallowing problems; a doctor's concern about individual risk	Colorectal cancer screening by age and family history; follow-up of a positive stool test; bowel symptoms
Taiwan's national programme	None for gastroscopy; a one-time H. pylori stool test at 45–74	FIT every 2 years at 45–74; colonoscopy follows a positive result
Preparation	Fasting beforehand	Low-residue diet plus a laxative bowel prep

How much does endoscopy cost in Taiwan through New Dawn Health?

What you book	Our price	How to book
Digestive: Upper Endoscopy & Colonoscopy — both scopes, one sedated session, built into a customised screening day	$499	Book Digestive: Upper Endoscopy & Colonoscopy
Upper Endoscopy & Colonoscopy — the same pair booked as a single scan	$499	Book Upper Endoscopy & Colonoscopy
Upper Endoscopy on its own — an add-on to the Convenient Pro and Vital packages at Central Clinic's Health Screening Center	$250	Added when you book one of those packages on the health screening page

The single-scan booking includes anesthesia, a bowel-prep kit with English instructions, low-residue meal replacements and a debrief with the gastroenterologist.

Biopsies, polyp removal, hemostatic clips and other treatment the doctor decides on during the scan are separate charges, paid at check-out. For how that compares with paying cash in the United States, see colonoscopy cost without insurance: U.S. vs Taiwan.

Availability depends on the clinic: at Central Clinic the combined scope is not available on Thursdays, and at iHope Clinic it runs on Wednesdays and Thursdays only. The booking page shows the open dates.

What sedation options are there?

Most people receive a sedative through an IV so they stay relaxed and comfortable. Some people have an upper endoscopy without one, sometimes with a throat-numbing spray or gargle.

Sedation is a range, from light (drowsy but responsive) to deep. Not every clinic offers every option, so ask what is available.

Our endoscopy packages are sold as sedated (“painless”) procedures, with sedation given by trained medical staff. The exact type of sedation and who gives it: your coordinator confirms when you book. Our guide to sedation and anesthesia for foreign patients explains the levels and the monitoring.

After sedation you cannot drive. UK NHS guidance is no driving for 24 hours, and someone should take you home by car or taxi.

How do you prepare for a colonoscopy and gastroscopy?

The preparation schedule on our package page runs like this:

7 days before: the clinic's prep sheet asks you to pause supplements such as fish oil, ginseng, ginkgo, vitamin E, turmeric, natto or red yeast rice. If you take a blood thinner, including aspirin, or a diabetes medicine, do not stop it on your own: the clinic asks you to get suspension instructions from your own physician.
2 days before: switch to a low-residue diet — plain porridge, plain noodles, white toast, or the low-residue meal replacements.
The day before and the morning of the exam: take the bowel-cleansing solution in two split doses, drinking plenty of water or sports drinks until your stool is a clear, light yellow liquid.
4 hours before: stop drinking water, so nothing is in your stomach under sedation.
On the day: no contact lenses and no nail polish or gel polish, because they interfere with monitoring.

The exact regimen and timing for your clinic: your coordinator confirms when you book. Keep taking chronic constipation medicine as usual.

The prep is the least pleasant part. Plan a quiet hotel day close to a bathroom, rather than a sightseeing day.

What happens on the day of the exam?

Check-in: staff place an IV line for the sedation.
The scopes: an upper endoscopy typically takes 10 to 20 minutes; a colonoscopy usually takes less than an hour.
Findings during the scan: the doctor may take a biopsy or remove a polyp on the spot. These are charged separately at check-out.
Recovery: you rest in a recovery area until the sedative wears off. US NIH guidance is to expect 30 to 60 minutes after a colonoscopy.
Going home: by taxi or on foot, not driving or cycling. Bloating, cramps or a sore throat for a short time afterwards is common.

The US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) puts colonoscopy complications at about 15 bleeds and about 3 perforations per 10,000 procedures. It describes serious problems after an upper endoscopy, such as perforation, as rare.

When do you get results, and when can you fly home?

Your complete English report is ready in 7–10 business days. If a biopsy or polyp was taken, the pathology decides what happens next and when your next scope is due.

New Dawn Health flags a 7-day flight restriction on the digestive endoscopy in our screening packages. NIDDK notes that bleeding after a colonoscopy can be delayed by up to 2 weeks.

Book the scope in the first days of your trip. Then a polyp removal leaves time to be seen before your flight. The final say on flying belongs to the doctor who did the procedure.

Seek care urgently for black or bloody stool, vomiting blood, worsening belly or chest pain, trouble breathing, fever, dizziness or weakness. In Taiwan, call 119 (the local equivalent of 911).

Is there a non-invasive way to check for H. pylori?

Yes. If your question is only whether you carry H. pylori, a urea breath test checks for it without a scope. Our H. pylori Breath Test costs $75. An endoscopy is the route when you also need to see the stomach lining.