Korea

Country starter pack
Visiting Korea
91
Hospital and medical services
Healthcare in Korea is modern and efficient. Both
Western and Eastern medical practitioners and
medicines are available, and both are covered under the
Government’s National Health Insurance (NHI) which
foreign residents may be eligible for if properly registered
(discussed later on).
Doctors, dentists, dermatologists and other specialists in
Korea are all affordable and readily available, as are general
healthcare products and pharmaceutical drugs.
Foreigners can phone the Emergency Medical
Information Centre for emergency or routine medical
advice, or to help translate if they are at a clinic or
doctor’s office where nobody speaks English. They can
also connect anyone directly with emergency services
if appropriate. Staff members are bilingual and there will
almost always be someone on staff who speaks English.
City hospitals will almost always have an English-speaking
doctor on staff, although support and technical staff are
less likely to speak the language. It is sometimes advisable
to bring along a Korean-speaking friend, particularly in
smaller towns and cities. Hospitals are often well equipped
and modern looking, although may not always have the
best sanitation practices. Foreigners can also attend one
of several “international clinics” affiliated with certain
hospitals. These are staffed by doctors who have studied
abroad and generally speak English well, but they are
more costly. Patients generally need to pay a deposit
against the costs that might be incurred during their stay.
Some hospitals accept only certain credit cards, so it may
be necessary to bring cash.
Pharmacies are plentiful and many are usually located
near hospitals, as hospitals in Korea are not permitted
to dispense prescription medication. Foreigners who
have enrolled in the NHI (see below) will be able to get
prescription medication at a heavily subsidised rate.
Public healthcare
Korea’s National Health Insurance (NHI) program is a
compulsory system that covers the whole population for
most day-to-day and emergency medical procedures,
prescription medication and specialist visits. By law, any
company that employs more than five foreign workers
must enrol their foreign workers in a health insurance
program. The company is expected to pay 50 per cent of
their employees’ health insurance premiums each month,
and employees the other half. To enrol in the NHI, expats
simply need to bring their alien card to a nearby hospital
and apply. Once enrolled in the NHI program, you can
extend your coverage to immediate family members.
Note, however, that this does not apply to expatriates
employed as independent contractors. The amount
someone pays towards the NHI is determined in the
same way as taxes – on a sliding scale according to salary
level. Expatriates are not covered by either the NHI
or private health insurance until they have obtained an
Alien Registration Card (ARC) from their local Korea
Immigration Service office. This can take some time.
Doctors and specialists will claim most of the costs of a
consultation from the NHI, while expatriates will have
to pay a small premium directly. Prescription medication
and traditional medicine (including acupuncture) are also
covered, and will therefore also incur small costs.
The upside is that expenses for a routine visit to a doctor
or dentist will be quite low for both the consultation and
the medication. On the other hand, some doctors may
try to see as many patients as possible, so consultations
are not as thorough as they could be. Doctors may also
overprescribe medication in an attempt to get more
benefits from pharmaceutical companies.
Private health insurance
Apart from the NHI, there are a number of private health
insurance options; however, most of these are more
expensive and not as widely recognised as the national
scheme. Australians should note that some procedures
and medications, particularly those associated with
chronic illnesses such as cancer, are not covered under
the NHI and can become costly. Private insurance
companies cover the elements not covered by NHI, often
referred to as chronic illness plans, and therefore are
popular with many Koreans and expats.