With increasing government support and presence of a pool of talented surgeons, South Korea is likely to become the leading medical tourism destination in Asia.
The officials at the South Korean tourism industry said that South Korea is trying to outdo India, Thailand and Singapore to become the new medical tourism destination in Asia by promoting the skills of its surgeons in the beauty business, as reported by AFP.
The Council for Korean Medicine Overseas Promotion (CKMP) data reveals that about 16,000 foreign patients visited CKMP affiliated hospitals in 2007 as compared to 750 patients in 2005. Also, nearly 36 state agencies and hospitals joined CKMP to tap the opportunities provided by the fast growing medical tourism market. Moreover, by 2012, hospitals are expecting to receive about 100,000 foreign patients per year.
The increasing government support and a large number of talented and experienced surgeons are leading to a rapid growth in medical tourism of the country. The support of South Korean Health Ministry to hospitals in marketing and by simplifying the process of visa issuance attracts many tourists around the world to visit South Korea for medical purposes.
Moreover, by emphasizing on “Korean Wave” of pop culture, the government of Seoul city is also launching various programs and schemes to attract a large number of foreign patients looking for cosmetic surgery. Also, the South Korean government is planning to provide dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons and multilingual staff for counseling to foreign patients.
The reasons why western medical tourists are looking towards South Korea are limited scope of insurance coverage in developed countries, more waiting time for treatment, costly medical treatments and rise in cost of healthcare in western countries (and many other countries).
Jang Kyung-Won, Secretary General, CKMP said that due to its various high-quality services, such as laser treatment to correct short-sightedness, stomach cancer surgery, plastic surgery and spinal diseases, South Korea is likely to become the best medical tourism destination in near future, reported AFP on April 28, 2008.
A Senior Research Analyst at RNCOS says, “Health tourism is becoming one of the fastest growing sectors in South Korea. The increasing support from South Korean government and management systems is providing good business conditions for many foreign players in the country.”
Related Market Research Reports:
Opportunities in Asian Medical Tourism (2007-2010)
Indian Tourism Industry Forecast (2007-2011)
China Tourism Industry Analysis (2007-2011)
