ID :
23087
Tue, 10/07/2008 - 13:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/23087
The shortlink copeid
Cabinet allows medical marketing for foreigners
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a set of bills to relax restrictions on marketing activities by local medical institutions targeting foreign patients, as part of its goal to boost the so-called medical tourism sector.
The number of foreign patients visiting South Korea's major hospitals jumped to
16,000 last year, up from a mere 760 in 2005, according to recent government
data.
The country plans to attract 100,000 medical tourists by 2012, earning some US$37
billion and spurred by top-notch local doctors and relatively cheap medical costs
compared with Western nations.
The new measures will allow local hospitals to cut medical expenses and provide
transportation and other accommodations to foreigners and overseas Koreans not
covered by domestic health insurance.
Under the current medical law, established in 1951 and last revised in 1973, such
marketing activities are banned.
Despite growing calls for deregulation, tenuous efforts to overhaul the sector
have failed due to conflicting interests between different medical sectors and
concerns over timing.
The bills also permit medical institutions to practice Western and Oriental
medicine together and requires doctors to notify patients of the amount of
uninsured medical fees prior to treatment.
They now await parliamentary approval.
Most medical tourists to South Korea seek dental care, plastic surgery or general
checkups, according to the Health Ministry.
The country has seen an overwhelming number of female Asian tourists visiting the
country for cosmetic surgery in recent years, bolstered by the popularity of
Korean celebrities in domestic movies and soap operas.
For Western patients, comparatively cheap medical expenses are the main draw.
The level of Korean medical technology in the fields of dentistry and cosmetic
surgery is about 90 percent of that in the United States, but comes at one third
of the cost, the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences said.
For example, getting a comprehensive medical checkup costs an average of $2,600
per person in the U.S., but only $500 in Korea, making the trip cost-effective
even with airfare.
Meanwhile, medical costs incurred by Koreans rose from $60 million in 2006 to
$71.5 million last year, largely due to residents going abroad to treat serious
illnesses and tourists and students who receive medical treatment overseas.
The number of foreign patients visiting South Korea's major hospitals jumped to
16,000 last year, up from a mere 760 in 2005, according to recent government
data.
The country plans to attract 100,000 medical tourists by 2012, earning some US$37
billion and spurred by top-notch local doctors and relatively cheap medical costs
compared with Western nations.
The new measures will allow local hospitals to cut medical expenses and provide
transportation and other accommodations to foreigners and overseas Koreans not
covered by domestic health insurance.
Under the current medical law, established in 1951 and last revised in 1973, such
marketing activities are banned.
Despite growing calls for deregulation, tenuous efforts to overhaul the sector
have failed due to conflicting interests between different medical sectors and
concerns over timing.
The bills also permit medical institutions to practice Western and Oriental
medicine together and requires doctors to notify patients of the amount of
uninsured medical fees prior to treatment.
They now await parliamentary approval.
Most medical tourists to South Korea seek dental care, plastic surgery or general
checkups, according to the Health Ministry.
The country has seen an overwhelming number of female Asian tourists visiting the
country for cosmetic surgery in recent years, bolstered by the popularity of
Korean celebrities in domestic movies and soap operas.
For Western patients, comparatively cheap medical expenses are the main draw.
The level of Korean medical technology in the fields of dentistry and cosmetic
surgery is about 90 percent of that in the United States, but comes at one third
of the cost, the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences said.
For example, getting a comprehensive medical checkup costs an average of $2,600
per person in the U.S., but only $500 in Korea, making the trip cost-effective
even with airfare.
Meanwhile, medical costs incurred by Koreans rose from $60 million in 2006 to
$71.5 million last year, largely due to residents going abroad to treat serious
illnesses and tourists and students who receive medical treatment overseas.
