Medical Tourism in South Korea

Modern Technology with most recent medical equipments, top rated world class physicians, unique caring and deep sympathy for patients and lower costing for medical treatments are some of the things which tend people to choose South Korea as their medical tourism destination. Some of the world's best hospitals and stand alone specialty clinics are located in South Korea. One can easily feel the warmth of the hospitality in the form of timely care from expert nurses and doctors, instant facilities for all emergency cases without waiting too long and state-of-the-art facilities in South Korea. There is additional benefit when you choose South Korea as your medical tourism place because once your treatment is over and you need relaxation for few more days, you can find some of the world's best spa retreat resorts and travel and tour destinations in South Korea.

You may face language problem when you visit some other countries. But in South Korea there is no such problem as there are language translators available at all prominent places where tourists arrive from foreign countries. Also there is no lack of accommodations and you can always find plus accommodations and other other amenities without any delays and waiting in queue. For overseas promotion of Korean medicine and health care, the country launched a council and thus putting its first step into medical tourism lucrative market. This organization gets its finance by the Government and 28 private hospitals. They are working hard on the project to promote medical packages to foreign patients seeking affordable health care. The Council has purposed and started a set of measures to promote the medical vacation tourism industry by aiding hospitals in their marketing plan strategies. The government has initiated measures to promote medical tourism, such as easing the visa process for foreign patients. In this way, South Korea can generate greater overseas awareness of the country's medical and tourism offerings. With high quality workers and advanced technology, South Korea has the potential to become a leading medical hub, according to the Korea International Trade Association.

Definately many people need plastic and cosmetic surgical operations for various body parts and such patients are growing in number day by day. South Korea has been able to establish itself as a major center for cosmetic and plastic surgery. In fact, South Korea is considered the world’s capital for plastic surgery. Skin care and plastic surgery, has seen a sharp increase in the number of overseas customers. South Korea has also become a major destination for those seeking stem cell transplant. This is a process used in cancer treatment. South Korean scientists have made numerous breakthroughs in the stem cell process. They have developed a more efficient procedure of creating clone embryos from patients who wish to have a stem cell transplant. The government has also launched the Korea Medical Service Promotion Agency to make foreigners more aware of the country’s low-cost, high quality medical care and to attract more medical tourists. In 2005, about 10,000 medical tourists sought treatment in South Korea. The government hopes to increase this number to 15,000 by 2007.

The average charge for an in-patient visit in a US hospital is $3,762, which is 13 times higher than in South Korea. The average charge for
outpatients in the US is $13,000 which is 9 times higher than in South Korea. South Korea's affordable health care system has seen the number of foreign patients rise from 10,000 to 13,000 in just 2 years. With all these added measures in place, South Korea is on its way to claim its share in the prosperous medical tourism and vacation business. However, All people wishing to enter the Republic of South Korea must have a valid visa and passport. So one must take care of that before deciding to choose South Korea as their medical tourism destination.