The Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea Health Industry Development Institute launched a strategic organization with 30 hospitals to attract more foreign patients. The launching ceremony for the organization was aptly titled ‘Council for Korean Medicine Overseas Promotion.

The organization will be managed with funds from the government and private hospitals. With funding of 570 million won from the government, each member hospital will pay 10-20 million won in operation fees for the council on an annual basis. They will use the funds for marketing activities overseas to attract foreign patients.

The activities include holding seminars in Los Angeles, New York and China next year, operating an English-language Internet Web site, and developing tourist package programs that incorporate medical service available at local hospitals. The council’s main targets are more than 440,000 Korean-Americans residing in the United States who are not covered by health insurance, Japanese patients who want cosmetic surgery or Korean Oriental medicine and high-salaried Chinese patients.

Initially they will focus on publicizing LASIK operation, backbone surgery, artificial fertilization, Korean Oriental medicine, cosmetic surgery and implant treatments.

According to the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, the level of medical treatment in South Korea is 76 percent of that of the United States, 85 percent of Japan and 87 percent of Europe on average, as for gastric cancer, LASIK operation and cosmetic surgery; South Korea has better technology than other countries.

In 2005, the number of foreign patients in South Korea was 10,000. Last year the country saw a trade deficit of 46 billion won in medical services.