Filing a Complaint

Dear Dr. P.

A few days ago, I was refused medical treatment from one psychiatric clinic in Daegu. A Korean friend of mine called ahead and they confirmed they did treat foreigners and had English speaking doctors on staff. My Korean friend came with me and when we arrived we filled out all the necessary forms.

After waiting for 90 minutes, it was finally my turn to see the doctor. This is when the nurse called my Korean friend to the nurse’s desk and informed us that none of the doctors would see me. They then began to take other patients that had arrived after us. When we inquired as to why we could not see a doctor, one of the nurses said "her boss" told her they decided not to treat a foreigner. The nurse said she was sorry but that I had to leave.

This is not only unprofessional but also very unethical. My question is, where can I file an official complaint against this clinic for refusing treatment of a patient based on race? My Korean friend is a witness to this disgraceful behavior and is also willing to file an official complaint. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Dear sender, I understand how confused and frustrated you were after being rejected medical treatment in a foreign country. However, I wonder if there was any communication problem between the staff in that psychiatric clinic in Daegu. Most psychiatrists in South Korea tend to have low confidence in giving foreign patients medical treatment because most of them are not confident in their English proficiency and also, even though some of them can speak English quite well, they seem to be shy. Once I asked one of my acquainted psychiatrists who studied psychotherapy in the United States for five years, if he can treat patients in English. The answer was clear that he is not confident enough to treat them. Thereby, I hope you can forgive and understand their behavior with your generosity. If you give me the information on the clinic, including its name, phone number, and the doctor’s name, I will figure out what really happened and let you know.

Dear Dr. P,

I have been managing depression and insomnia for roughly seven years and managing with medication for four years. I just moved to Korea on a one year teaching contract and one month in, my prescriptions ran out. I’ve read several sources saying that all I need is verification from my doctor in the States to get my prescriptions filled here.

I’ve also heard that I should just see a psychiatrist here. I would like my medication in the fastest way possible but I want to do it the right way. I’ve been taking Citalopram (Celexa Generic) and Trazadone. Are these available in Korea? If not, what is the procedure to get them shipped to me from the States? I also saw that some psychiatrists do phone consultations.

Could you recommend an English speaking psychiatrist? Also is this sort of thing covered in my National Health Insurance? I know I’ve asked a lot of questions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Dear Sender, I can understand your suffering very well. From my 10 years of experience of running a psychiatric clinic for foreigners, it will be impossible to get your medicine shipped from the States. The Korean FDA has prohibited people to import the personal medicine which is available in Korea. Citalopram and Trazodone are now available in Korea and you can also get them in any psychiatric clinic, indeed. A phone or webcam interview in English is also available and I can give you the medicine after interview. If you want it, please call my office and make an appointment with my nurse. (My Skype ID is doctor.park) The medicine you are taking is covered by Korean health insurance if you have it. I hope this helps you.

Park Jin-seng is a psychiatrist who runs a clinic for foreigners in Seoul and operates a personal therapist forum on www.lifeinkorea.com. For counceling, please submit your questions to mdoctor@korea.com or call the hotline at 02- 563-0678.