Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Airport medical center to be gateway to Korean healthcare
Dignitaries from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and relevant government organizations get a briefing of the key function of the Medical Tourism Support Center which was opened at the arrival area of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, Thursday. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Courtesy of MOHW
By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hye-seon
Today we live in an era where “quality of life,” particularly one's health and wellbeing, is considered essential. Many people are eagerly traveling to other countries to seek access to varied medical services, and this has led to the steady growth of the global healthcare market.
In line with the trend, Korea revised the Medical Service Act in 2009 to allow Korean hospitals to provide medical treatment for foreign patients. Based on the revised law and with Korea's advanced skills in healthcare, the number of foreign patients coming to Korea is increasing every year. The figure is well over 300,000 with slight fluctuations due to external factors such as exchange rates and diplomatic issues.
Kim Hye-seon
For Korea to become a more attractive destination for foreign patients, it is important to achieve several goals.
The first goal is to enhance global recognition of Korean healthcare.
According to the Medical Tourism Index (2016) developed by the U.S. Medical Tourism Association, Korea's attractiveness as a medical tourism destination is eighth in the world following behind Singapore at fourth and India in fifth.
This shows the lack of global recognition of Korea's healthcare system compared to its advanced medicine and medical personnel. On the bright side, Korea was named the Health and Medical Tourism: Destination of the Year at the International Medical Travel Journal's Medical Travel Summit 2018, a world-leading international conference for the medical travel sector.
This is a positive sign that the world is beginning to recognize the excellence of Korean healthcare.
The Korean government is striving to promote its healthcare sector through various channels such as hosting the Medical Korea Conference, exchanging academic expertise in medical technology and organizing hospital tours.
The second goal is to increase reliability in Korean healthcare.
The Korean government has implemented a range of policies to ensure reliability and gain foreign patients' trust in Korean healthcare. To guarantee the quality of hospitals and medical tourism agencies, registration is now mandatory for all entities engaging with foreign patients and commissions paid to agencies have been capped to restrict excessive fees.
In addition, to protect foreign patients in vulnerable situations such as medical disputes in a country so far from home, hospitals and agencies are required to purchase medical malpractice liability insurance to guarantee sufficient compensation. The government has devised and implemented these measures in an effort to provide safe and quality medical services to inbound foreign patients.
The last goal is to improve convenient access to Korean healthcare.
Apart from the above factors regarding global recognition and reliability, Korean healthcare needs to be accompanied by appropriate services so that foreign patients feel comfortable despite the language barrier and cultural differences. Therefore, convenient access to healthcare is another area Korea must work on.
On Dec. 18, the Medical Tourism Support Center opened at Incheon International Airport. The Support Center will provide foreign patients with support necessary to receive treatment in Korea the moment they arrive at the airport.
Nurses at the center will provide professional medical information in different languages (English, Chinese, Russian, etc.) and patients will have access to an integrated one-stop service including transportation to hospitals, scheduling of medical appointments and recommendation of nearby accommodation, shopping areas and wellness tourism products.
The Support Center can also be used as a meeting point for foreign patients to meet with their agents or relevant representatives from medical institutions.
Korean healthcare aims to provide care beyond cure. By providing Korean medical services, Korea hopes to not only cure patients of their illnesses but also make them feel truly cared for both physically and mentally. As patients' first point of contact with Korean healthcare, Korea holds high hopes for the Incheon Airport Medical Tourism Support Center to serve as a bridge connecting the world to Korea.
Kim Hye-seon is the Director General of Global Healthcare of the Ministry of Health and Welfare