Nearly 50 hospitals and medical centers operate overseas clinics in ten countries around the world as of June 2010, according to a survey conducted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.
In countries where Hallyu, or the Korean wave, has had great influence, such as China, Taiwan and Vietnam, Korean hospitals have established a strong foothold of 20 clinics. Beauty-related sectors like plastic surgery, dermatology and dental care have been especially successful.
| Left: Samsung Medical Center in Dubai// Right: Samsung Medical Center’s international clinic in Seoul (Courtesy of Samsung Medical Center) |
Samsung Medical Center opened its first branch in the Middle East this past April in Dubai. Backed by advanced technology and cultural understanding of the Arab world, the hospital has become very popular among local patients. The hospital further plans to open additional overseas medical centers in three Chinese cities. For more on Samsung Medical Center, visit here (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, English, French, German, Hindi, Mongolian, Thai, Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian).
| Oriental medical treatment at Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine in Seoul (Courtesy of Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine) |
Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine in Seoul recently opened clinics in the US cities of Los Angeles and Fullerton in California. The hospital is well-known for non-surgical treatments of the spine and joints, and has actively worked to make its Seoul offices a welcoming place for international patients. It has also engaged in international medical exchanges with both Western and Oriental medicine hospitals worldwide. For more information on Jaseng Hospital, visit here (Korean, Japanese, English and Russian).
In late October, a group of internationally famous celebrities, including Kristin Davis of “Sex and the City,” Peter Fonda and Sheena Shirley Easton visited Korea for medical treatment.
They attended the opening ceremony of the Chaum Clinic in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. More than 100 celebrities from both Korea and overseas attended the ceremony and joined a medical tourism program focused on anti-aging treatments. The Chaum Clinic's homepage can be found here (Korean, English).
Patients are not the only ones who come to Korean hospitals from overseas. Doctors from around the world also come to Korea to learn advanced medical techniques and receive additional training.
| Doctors train to use surgical robot “Da Vinci” at Severance Hospital (Courtesy of Severance Hospital) |
Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul has attracted many doctors from all over the world to train in the use of the “Da Vinci” surgical robot. Over the past year, more than 90 doctors from Japan, the United States and Europe attended medical training sessions at the hospital. For more information on Severance Hospital, please visit their homepage (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English and Russian).
Medical training courses are also available at other Korean hospitals, including Asan Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Inha University Hospital and Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital. Almost 30 doctors traveled to Korea for medical training courses in 2010, nearly double the number who came in 2007, according to Seoul National University Hospital. Experts say the numbers are even higher, since other hospitals did not count overseas participants separately.
| Doctors from around the world receive medical training at W Hospital (Courtesy of W Hospital) |
These programs are also available in other parts of Korea. At W Hospital in Daegu, two Russian doctors recently participated in a training program for hand and micro surgery. Doctors from the United States and India have also traveled to W Hospital for similar training. To learn more about W Hospital, visit here (Korean only).
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
