Medical Tourism News
South Korea sees record high health tourists
The country ’ s popularity among medical tourists has been growing over the past 15 years
More than 600,000 overseas patients sought care in Korea in 2023 , the largest number since records began in 2009 , said the country ’ s Ministry of Health and Welfare ( MOHW ). Most patients came from �apan , followed by China , the United States , Thailand , and Mongolia . The largest increases in patient numbers were recorded for Taiwanese , at 8�� percent , and Japanese , at 762 percent . The most popular medical specialities were dermatology , plastic surgery , and internal medicine .
This growth re�ects an upward trend that has lasted for more than a decade and was only temporarily halted by the pandemic . The number of health travellers steadily increased between 200� and 201� , when it stood at 4�7,000 , but then dropped to 120,000 in 2020 because of COVI�-1� .
“ To increase the number of international patient arrivals after its sharp drop during the pandemic , we have been implementing the Strategy for Vitalizing International Patient Attraction for advancing Korean healthcare into a new era of global recognition since its announcement in May 2023 . We plan to continue expanding support , improving unreasonable regulations , and revising systems to attract 700,000 foreign patients annually by 2027 and leap forward as a medical tourism hub in Asia ,” �irector General �ung �un-young of the Bureau of Health Industry , MOHW , said in a press release .
“ We will also conduct continuous monitoring to ensure that the attraction of foreign patients does not lead to a shortage of medical supplies for our citizens ,” she added .
Shanghai eyes medical tourism
Hospitals improve services and forge international partnerships
Hospitals in Shanghai are improving their services in hopes of becoming more attractive to overseas patients , according to media reports .
Improvements include hiring staff who can speak multiple languages and cooperating with local and international insurance companies to facilitate payment and reimbursement .
“ Shanghai is building itself into an Asian medical center , whose major strength comes from leading public hospitals . As a city-level maternity hospital , we are equipped with a top medical center in fetal medicine , prenatal diagnosis and treatment , and gynecological tumors ,” Li Xiaocui , vice president of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital , told Shine . “ We have separate medical service regions for international medical departments with bilingual guidance and �nglish-speaking staff .”
�enji Hospital , another health provider in Shanghai , has developed a partnership with Malaysian doctors who have received training in paediatric liver transplants at the hospital . In addition , �enji ’ s surgeons regularly treat Malaysian patients .
“ Many of my colleagues , including me , have a medical license to perform surgeries in Malaysia ,” Xia Qiang , a leading surgeon at the hospital , told China Daily . “ Also , we still have children from Malaysia who come to our hospital in Shanghai for transplants every year .”
Liver surgeons from many other countries have also been trained at �enji Hospital , which is planning to enter into more collaborations with overseas experts , a move that is likely to increase the number of medical tourists seeking care at the facility in Shanghai .
“ This year we ’ ll open our doors wider and welcome doctors from all over the world . We believe this will boost mutual exchanges and promote common improvement ,” he said .
20 ISSUE 2 | 2024 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com