South Korea Enters Medical Tourism Market

The New York Times on Sunday examined South Korea's inclusion on the growing list of countries that engage in medical tourism. The South Korean government, along with clinics, is trying to attract medical tourists in an effort to provide needed income for some hospitals. In South Korea, medical fees for the country's residents are determined by the government, but hospitals can negotiate fees with foreign patients on their own. In addition, the government hopes medical tourism will boost the economy by having patients vacation in the country post-procedure. South Korea has revised its immigration policies to allow foreign patients and their families to obtain long-term medical visas and also has changed its laws to permit local hospitals to join in ventures with foreign hospitals.

Although no government records indicate how many medical tourists come to South Korea hospitals, a survey of 29 hospitals in the country found that 38,822 uninsured foreign patients were treated between January and August, compared with 15,680 in 2007, according to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. The survey also found that 25% of the patients were from the U.S. and 10% came from both China and Japan.

Yoon Dae-hyun, a psychiatrist at the Healthcare System Gangnam Center at Seoul National University Hospital, said some Koreans are worried that social inequality will result from medical resources and skilled workers migrating from public health care to better jobs assisting foreigners. However, he said that the effort to attract foreigners could inspire local hospitals to improve their services. "There isn't much of a gap anymore between the good hospitals in Asia and the United States," he said.

The article also profiled several medical tourists to South Korea and some of the country's medical institutions (Sang-Hun, New York Times, 11/16).