Incheon, Jeju receive additional funding to attract medical tourists

Foreign patients consult a physician, in a white gown, and a medical coordinator, far left, before receiving treatment at a medical clinic in Incheon in February 2023. Courtesy of Incheon Metropolitan City

Health ministry injects money to offer clinics financial boost

By Ko Dong-hwan

Korea has become one of the favored destinations for foreigners seeking both affordable and quality medical services and the Ministry of Health and Welfare has selected cities that will receive funding to have hospitals there accommodate more patients from abroad.

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Incheon Metropolitan City and Daegu Metropolitan City were selected after a tender process that was led by the ministry, which funded each with over 200 million won ($160,000).

The bidding process took place as the ministry is seeking to restructure policies to host more local medical service providers who are willing and qualified to cater to foreign patients. To this end, the ministry revised its enforcement ordinances on local clinics to allow them to advertise their services to foreign patients. The revision came into effect last December.

An official at the Jeju provincial government said, March 9, that it participated in the tender process by pitching the theme of "Medical Wellness Based on the Island's Natural Environment."

To transform the local medical infrastructure to one specialized for Jeju Island, the provincial government said it will connect the leading medical clinics on the island with local tourism agencies that can attract visitors from overseas who are interested in receiving medical services in Korea.

Global Healthcare Center at the Catholic University of Korea Incheon St. Mary's Hospital in Bupyeong District caters to foreigners in need of the city's medical services. Courtesy of Incheon Metropolitan City

With the ministry's latest financial support, the island is looking to enhance its clinics and hospitals to accommodate patients from abroad for the next three years. One of the mantras behind the mission is "nature-friendly medical foundation."

"We are currently developing the island's unique medical and wellness model," said Kang Dong-won, chief of the Local Safety Health Bureau. "Also, by strengthening our government's high added-value policies on promoting local medical services to foreign patients, we are looking at a stronger medical industry unfolding on Jeju as well as the local economy on the increase."

A three-year plan to streamline and expand the channel between international tourists and medical clinics on the island has been launched by the government. This year, the authority is building back medical services available for foreigners after being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, the authority aims to ramp up the global promotion of its medical services overseas. Finally, in 2025, the provincial government expects the investments made so far will create new jobs and reenergize the local economy.

Incheon, another local municipality in the country, said it has many strengths, which led to its selection ― a number of specialized and research hospitals, diverse treatment fields for those with serious illnesses, a large-scale bio cluster complex and plenty of natural resources around the coastal city.

"It's going to be the service that tourists to our country from overseas will want to enjoy at least once in their lifetime," said Kim Seok-cheol, director general of the Health and Welfare Bureau of the city government.

In this photo from 2017, local people in the United Arab Emirates consult a Korean physician from Jeju Island at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The island's government sent a team to promote Jeju's local medical tourism industry. Courtesy of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province

The city is working on an online consulting platform patients can use prior to arrival in Korea. The city already has a proven medical service for health tourists. It includes a comprehensive medical care product, including pre-visit consultations, in-person treatment and a city tour, as well as after-service following their departure from the city. During the service makeover starting this year, the city is focusing on foreigners with serious illnesses who require emergency treatment as an additional patient group.

With equipment and experts prepped and ready, the city is building up a network of service promoters for potential medical tourists from outside of Korea. The city authority has urged local clinics to become Korean Accredited Hospitals for Foreign patients (KAHF). They are also looking to hire more medical coordinators, a special position that bridges foreigners and local hospitals. Medical institutes that were previously KAHF accredited and those newly accredited this year will be better connected starting this year so that experiences and know-how can be shared.

The western coastal city, home to the country's biggest international airport and second-largest harbor, started increasing the quality of services offered by its medical industry in order to attract patients from overseas in 2017. The initiative began with the introduction of new ordinances to support the activities of local clinics focusing on foreign patients. It extended the ordinances to certify more local hospitals and clinics for KAHF and to protect the rights and benefits of foreign patients visiting the city.

The ministerial initiative in 2022 selected the city governments of Busan and Gwangju as well as the provincial government of North Chungcheong.