By Jung Min-ho
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday that it is considering requiring all medical institutions to have liability insurance to treat foreigners.
The move comes as the government is trying to restore the credibility of Korea’s medical services, which were tarnished by the recent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak.
The ministry has prepared a bill which is a compromise from bills submitted by Rep. Choi Dong
ic of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) and Rep. Lee Myoung-soo of the ruling Saenuri Party to attract foreign patients and protect their rights. The new bill is expected to get support from lawmakers from both sides.
The current law requires only the agents that connect foreigners to medical institutions to have insurance against medical accidents while the hospitals are not obliged to have the same insurance. In most cases, however, compensation is not enough to cover damages.
According to the state-run Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency, the number of complaints from foreign patients increased to 131 last year from 59 in 2012.
The ministry believes the insurance requirements will curb the concerning trend.
The bill also includes a clause that allows medical institutions to advertise their services at airports, duty-free shops and ports in English.
Joining the ministry’s effort to revitalize the nation’s healthcare industry, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government launched a website (https://www.koreamedical.or.kr) that offers information about medical services in the region in three foreign languages ― English, Chinese and Russian.
During the fight against MERS, the virus spread into what was regarded as Korea’s finest hospitals, including Samsung Medical Center and Asan Medical Center in Seoul. Concerns have been raised that the country will need a long time to recover its damaged reputation.
According to the state-run Korean Health Industry Development Institute, from June to July foreign patients’ cancellation rate in Korea’s top 10 hospitals was 46 percent, much higher than 10 percent during the same period last year.
According to laws changed in 2009, local hospitals can treat foreign patients. The government has issued certificates to local clinics and medical centers that were qualified to treat foreign patients. Almost 2,000 certified institutes are now up and running across the country. They are required to report the number of patients and their earnings to the government every year.