A patient undergoing facial acupuncture at Kwangdong Oriental Hospital in Seoul. Industry insiders in South Korea say Singapore, as an established medical tourism destination, will pose keen competition. — PHOTO: KWANGDONG ORIENTAL HOSPITAL
Medical clinics and hospitals in South Korea are on a major drive to woo foreign patients, including those from Singapore and the region.
They are joined by medical travel agencies, “book a doctor” portals and hotels, which are tying up with the clinics to offer their guests lower treatment rates.
The effort, however, will not be a walk in the park, said industry insiders in South Korea, because Singapore, as an established medical tourism destination, will pose keen competition.
Singapore Tourism Board figures show foreigners spent about $1 billion on medical treatments here in 2011.
BACKGROUND STORY
Before you fly…
FAST facts for a medical traveller to South Korea
IN 2012
About 156,000 medical tourists visited South Korea. People from China, the United States, Russia and Japan led the way. The top five services foreign patients bought were:
- Internal medicine
- Health screening
- Dermatology
- Plastic surgery
- Obstetrics and gynaecology
HOT SPOTS
Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province treat more than 70 per cent of the foreign patients. Busan is next. In Seoul, 154 dermatology clinics, 319 plastic surgery clinics and 317 dental clinics take in foreign patients.
PRECAUTIONS
The Korea Tourism Organization recommends taking these steps:
- Find out if the hospital or clinic is registered with the Korean government.
- Before flying there, get in touch with a coordinator who speaks your language.
- Check the receipt or invoice, preferably before the procedure.
Unsatisfactory service may be reported to the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency.
Source: Korea Tourism Organization
source: http://www.straitstimes.com / The Sunday Times / Home> Breaking News> Singapore> Story / by Poon Chian Hui / May 18th, 2013
