SOUTH KOREA: AT THE FOREFRONT OF MEDICAL TOURISM
Visitors will find state-of-the-art facilities supported by multilingual physicians and clinicians
Next year, the eyes of the world will be on Pyeongchang, when the 2018 Winter Olympics descend on South Korea. And while tourists have long flocked to the Northeast Asian nation for its historic sites, ultra-modern cities, beguiling culture and delicious food, increasingly, visitors are choosing South Korea for its medical services.
These travellers are, in large part, coming from nations where wait times or ballooning healthcare costs have made people look abroad for health-related solutions; medical, or wellness tourism worldwide is growing at a rate of 9.1 per cent per year, 50 per cent higher than overall global tourism. Tourists are choosing destinations where it is advantageous to add a medical treatment to their itineraries, often for a fraction of what it would cost at home. South Korea has become a top choice for visitors seeking complicated transplants, cancer treatment and traditional oriental alternative medicine.
The Korea Tourism Organization forecasts that the annual number of medical tourists will rise to 998,000 by 2020. The South Korean government has rolled out the red carpet for medical tourists, with information desks at Incheon International Airport, relaxed visa requirements and increased protections and legal support.
But perhaps most importantly, visitors arrive in Korea to find state-of-the-art medical facilities supported by solid IT infrastructure and multilingual doctors and clinicians in both modern and oriental medicine who speak their language. But even more notable is the country’s high-speed Internet connectivity, which provides seamless access to a host of onestop multilingual services online. The country has been actively moving towards digitization of clinical data to ensure patient safety and care, and to streamline workflow systems for international patients. Furthermore, doctors intent on specializing in the field must first go through a rigorous 11-year training assessment period before they are even able to practise.
Part of the appeal is also the fact that such expertise doesn’t come at an unreasonably high price. Medical costs in Korea are only 20 to 30 per cent of those in the United States or Japan, while medical services are still delivered at a similarly high level.
While Western medicinal practices still favour more intrusive forms of treatment, Korea has gone to great lengths to develop technologies with minimally invasive techniques, namely, its revolutionary proton and Gamma Knife therapy for hard-to-reach tumor removal. Further testament to this is the fact that the country ’s National Cancer Center boasts some of the highest recovery rates in the world. Three of the country ’s top hospitals, Samsung Medical Center, ASAN Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital, have all reported sharp increases in the number of foreigners visiting their facilities for treatments.
But perhaps what sets Korea most apart when it comes to minimally invasive treatment is the fact that it is the only country in Asia to offer proton therapy and Tomo-Therapy. With clinically proven results in the treatment of solid tumors, they deliver pinpoint
‘The South Korean government has rolled out the red carpet for medical tourists, with information desks at Incheon International Airport, relaxed visa requirements and increased protections and legal support.’
radiation to cancerous tissue, leaving healthy tissue virtually untouched and having fewer side effects than conventional radiation treatments.
Western medical approaches to combat disease have long since been relatively invasive and intrusive. For those opting for a less intrusive form of healing, Korea’s alternative medicines provide far faster recovery times. Such nonsurgical methods are used to alleviate aches, pains and fatigue and effectively ease symptoms associated with arthritis and muscle pain.
The practice dates back over 2,000 years and targets the root of the illness and lets the body’s own strengths overcome its symptoms and prevent it from recurring. Doctors specializing in traditional oriental medicine undergo training for a minimum of six years.
With the allure of medical tourism showing no signs of diminishing, countries in Asia will continue vying for a larger share of the market. Yet, with the support of its government, strict protocols, unprecedented IT infrastructure and revolutionary technology, South Korea is set to maintain its hold in the industry.