Calls for a new government policy to support the global healthcare industry in Korea are increasing. This demand is gaining force as the healthcare industry suffers a sharp decline in the number of international patients arriving to Korea, mainly due to the outbreak of MERS. According to health care workers, over one million foreigners have visited Korea for medical tourism this year.
The proposed global healthcare industry assistance bill includes a clause that would allow limited medical advertising for the purpose of attracting international patients. There are also proposed measures for the global healthcare industry to receive financial support through the Minor Enterprises Act and for the establishment of an agency dedicated to supporting global healthcare businesses. Ideas on strengthened inspections and penal provisions against those who disturb the market system of attracting international patients are also included in the bill.
Medical professionals assert that this bill must be passed in the National Assembly for Korea to survive in the fierce competition with neighboring countries such as China and Japan.
Some suggest that Japan and Taiwan have increased their investments to counter Korea, thereby forming the Big Three in Asian medical tourism. Following the implementation of Abenomics, Japan launched “Medical Excellence Japan” (MEJ) to attract visiting patients. Taiwan, on the other hand, is targeting patients from Mainland China, fully taking advantage of its strength of not having any language barriers with the region.
Experts point out that a supporting legal system is necessary to expand Korea’s health industry globally whilst maintaining its advanced medical system. It will not do to encourage the market to increase its effort without providing any standards for international medical tourism.
There are also calls for restrictions on the fee for the medical tourism market as well as demands for detailed explanations for international patients so as to prevent any medical accidents.
Dr. Byung-Hee Oh (President of Seoul National University Hospital), the President of the Korea International Medical Association (KIMA), said “To regain the trust of the international community in the wake of the MERS outbreak, the establishment of an institutionalized system is absolutely necessary. We need to publicize that the Korean healthcare industry is safely regulated by the government.”
