| 'Medical Korea' gaining traction |
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A foreign woman with a baby consults hospital staff at the International Health Center at Samsung Medical Center.
/ Courtesy of Samsung Medical Center |
By Kim Tae-jong
Korea has become a destination for medical treatment for a growing number of foreign patients.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 81,789 foreign patients visited Korea for medical treatment last year, up 36 percent from a year earlier.
The government’s active promotion of medical tourism has led to the sharp increase. The total revenue from treating foreign patients nearly doubled to 103 billion won ($88 million) last year from 54 billion won in 2009 with each spending 1.3 million won on average.
The government has been supporting the globalization of Korean medical institutions under the catchphrase “Medical Korea,” the brand campaign to promote the country’s advanced medical services abroad.
Programs and initiatives supported by the government include the issuance of medical treatment visas, operation of an around-the-clock medical call center as well as one-stop medical tourism service centers.
To guarantee the quality of the medical services and strengthen foreign patients’ trust in it, the government has also adopted a registry system for Korean medical institutions and facilities. As of August 2011, the number registered at the health ministry stood at 2,016.
Medical institutions have also stepped up globalization efforts to attract patients from abroad. Many more medical institutions have been gaining accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), the highest standard in international healthcare accreditation.
A total of 22 hospitals, including the Severance Hospital, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital and Ewha Womans University Medical Center have been accredited.
In addition, 58 medical institutions have established overseas branches in 11 countries to promote the advanced technology and services they offer.
The number of foreign patients who visited here in 2010 marked 64,777 for out-patients, accounting for 79.2 percent of all treated, and 11,653, or 14.2 percent, for medical screening services. The number of in-patients recorded 5,359.
By nationality, the majority of patients were from the United States, China, Japan, Russia and Mongolia.
About 14 percent of patients received skincare-related treatment and cosmetic surgery while 13.5 percent received internal medical treatment. Another 13.1 percent visited complete medical checkup centers.
Some 43 percent of patients went to local medical centers while 20.5 percent opted for general hospitals. Another 23.5 percent chose clinics.
Currently, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) operates the International Medical Communication Office to provide international patients with medical consultation services to solve complaints, inconveniences and malpractice under the support of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. For more information, visit www.medicalkorea.or.kr |
| A glance at top four Korean hospitals |
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Seoul National University Hospital
For more than a century, Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) has been a pioneer of Western medicine in Korea in terms of world-class medical education, research, and patient care.
The hospital consists of the SNU Main Hospital, Children's Hospital, Cancer Hospital, Bundang Hospital, Healthcare System Gangnam Center, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Boramae Medical Center, Biomedical Institute, and Dental Hospital.
With over 4,000 beds, it has a staff of 8,400 including 2,400 physicians, who provide top-quality medical services to over 4 million out-patients and about 150,000 in-patients annually.
The International Healthcare Center (IHC), located in the Main Hospital provides specialized care for international patients with patient support programs in various languages.
In 2011, the hospital received the “No. 1 Accreditation of Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety” from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In the same year, SNUH was also selected as the top hospital on the Korea Brand Power Index for the 11th consecutive year.
Seoul St. Mary's Hospital
Seoul St. Mary's Hospital (SSMH) is a representative medical institution of the Catholic Medical Center (CMC), which has eight subsidiary hospitals and seven research centers in Korea with a history spanning 70 years.
With 1,320 beds, 43 clinical departments, 756 medical doctors and 1,700 nurses, the hospital provides medical services to over 6,000 out-patients daily.
It received the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 certificate for quality management of businesses in 2005, the first medical institution to do so in Korea. It also received an accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI), the highest standard in global healthcare accreditation, in July 2010.
With its commitment to international patients, the hospital has opened the International Health Care Center, which provides English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and French interpretation services. Over 10,000 foreign patients visited the hospital in 2010 alone.
For Muslim patients, the hospital has VIP rooms that can house more than 10 family members and guardians. They can enjoy various facilities such as a shopping mall, spa, and cinema across from the hospital.
The hospital provides a prayer room on the 21st floor and prepares Halal meals for Muslims .
Asan Medical Center
The Asan Medical Center (AMC) was established in 1989 under the philosophy of "helping the neediest members of society,"
Since its foundation, the hospital has attained a world-class level of medical achievement, with continuous research and development along with investment in clinical practices.
As the largest hospital in the country with 2,700 hospital beds and over 7,000 staffers, AMC treats an average of 12,000 out-patients, 2,600 in-patients and 230 emergency patients.
Every year the hospital performs about 57,000 advanced surgical procedures, including organ transplants and cancer surgeries.
The Organ Transplantation Center performs more than 26 percent of the nation’s total transplants. The center gained the world record for its number of liver transplants with 3,000 as of April, 2011.
Within the AMC, the Asan Heart Institute, performed the world’s first left main coronary artery intervention and has a 98 percent success rate for coronary intervention.
The hospital’s Asan Cancer Center performs the most surgeries for nine out of the nation’s ten major cancer types, treating 10 percent of Korea’s cancer patients.
It has been selected as the Most Respected Hospital in Korea for five consecutive years by the Korea Management Association.
Samsung Medical Center
Samsung Medical Center (SMC) was founded on Nov. 9, 1994 under the philosophy to “contribute to improving the health of the nation through best medical services, advanced medical research and the development of outstanding medical personnel.”
Comprised of 40 departments, eight special centers and over 110 special clinics, SMC is a tertiary hospital with 1,966 beds. Approximately 7,000 staffers including over 1,355 doctors and 2,380 nurses work there.
As the first step toward becoming a global hospital, it established the Samsung Medical Center in collaboration with Index Holdings in Dubai in April, 2010.
The Samsung Medical Center considers the next 10 years to be crucial in its bid to become a world-class medical institute and is making all-out efforts and investments to ensure that it is fully prepared.
In line with this the Samsung Medical Center opened the Samsung Cancer Center and the Samsung Cancer Lab in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Plans are underway to establish the Samsung International Medical Center in 2015. ***************************************************** In Malaysia, if you do not have the money you wait till you drop to see a qualified and experience doctor.
If and when you do get to see the doctor, your medical bill will cause you to have a heart attack.
And if that is not enough, many of the medical staff have sex on the examination bed that you lie down to have a check up on.
In Korea the poor can get immediate service upon arrival at the hospital and check by qualified doctors. They get to eat and stay free. No payment whatsoever for medicine.
Malaysia with the most resources and wealth cannot even look after the poor and middle class citizens. |
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