By Lee Kyung-min
Foreign patients will be exempted from paying taxes in an effort to bring in more medical tourists, the government said Monday.
The plan, among the government's initiatives to seek growth engines for the nation in the new year, is aimed at increasing the annual number for foreign patients to 400,000 this year from last year's 280,000.
Under the plan, foreign patients undergoing plastic surgery or dermatological treatments will be exempted from the value-added tax (VAT), which accounts for 10 percent of medical fees, for one year starting from April, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Starting in June, clinics and hospitals will be allowed to display promotional materials targeting medical tourists at airports and duty free shops nationwide.
The ministry plans to have hospitals and clinics provide interpretation services for foreign patients throughout medical consultations here.
Lodging services and tourism programs will also be improved to help patients recover after treatment.
By March, it also plans to open a website that will introduce medical checkup programs at major hospitals and enable customers to make reservations online prior to visiting.
The ministry is also considering mandating all medical institutions be properly insured in preparation for future disputes regarding side effects or death.
It is also considering opening the K-Medical Center, a facility to help maintain the network between local medical professionals and foreign doctors who receive medical training here.
Under the plan, the ministry seeks to create 760,000 new jobs.
Foreign patients will be exempted from paying taxes in an effort to bring in more medical tourists, the government said Monday.
The plan, among the government's initiatives to seek growth engines for the nation in the new year, is aimed at increasing the annual number for foreign patients to 400,000 this year from last year's 280,000.
Under the plan, foreign patients undergoing plastic surgery or dermatological treatments will be exempted from the value-added tax (VAT), which accounts for 10 percent of medical fees, for one year starting from April, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Starting in June, clinics and hospitals will be allowed to display promotional materials targeting medical tourists at airports and duty free shops nationwide.
The ministry plans to have hospitals and clinics provide interpretation services for foreign patients throughout medical consultations here.
Lodging services and tourism programs will also be improved to help patients recover after treatment.
By March, it also plans to open a website that will introduce medical checkup programs at major hospitals and enable customers to make reservations online prior to visiting.
The ministry is also considering mandating all medical institutions be properly insured in preparation for future disputes regarding side effects or death.
It is also considering opening the K-Medical Center, a facility to help maintain the network between local medical professionals and foreign doctors who receive medical training here.
Under the plan, the ministry seeks to create 760,000 new jobs.
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