A recent boom in the cosmetic surgery market has produced negative side effects that require the attention of policymakers, including the possibility of predatory pricing, commonly referred to as “dumping.” In Korea, medical tourism is a 100 billion-won-a-year industry, with tourism agencies serving as the middleman between overseas customers and hospitals.
A hospital promoter, who declined to be named, said the agencies’ overheated competition and demand for higher commissions are becoming a huge headache for the clinics.
“If the agents keep introducing patients to clinics with low quality services, dumping will occur,” she said.
“If this kind of cut-throat competition takes place, the reputation of the Korean medical market will go down.” Another hurdle is the lack of system protecting individual clinics from possible lawsuits filed by foreign insurance companies in cases of failed treatments.
While Korea has little experience when it comes to legal battles between insurance companies and hospitals, these giant firms, which are quite experienced, could severely disrupt the operation of the facilities.
Another source, who also did not want to be named, said the fear of a possible legal battle is the main reason why well-equipped hospitals are focusing on easier tasks such as health checkups. “Cosmetic surgeons with less capital and high risks face extreme hardship when they are sued,” he said.
The last, but the most significant task, facing plastic surgeons, is the qualifications of the doctors. While some highly accredited states such as Singapore is considering strictly limiting who can perform the operations, the regulation is relatively loose in Korea.
Kim Byung-gun, who is in charge of 20 medical doctors at BK DongYang Plastic Surgery, said that many nonplastic surgeons conduct liposuctions and other risky operations.
According to the health ministry, 1,242 plastic surgeons are working at 729 plastic surgery clinics. However, the actual number of doctors practicing such operations is estimated at around 4,000.
“I wouldn’t say they are all bad doctors but to build credibility, we need to introduce stricter regulations,” he said.
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute said doctors who are registered with performing cosmetic surgeries on foreign patients are all certified plastic surgeons. It also said the government is trying to adapt legal disciplinary actions to control the commission of such brokers to a moderate level.