Introduction to International Politics
Foreign Event Analysis
| Locale | ![[]](http://www.kvasaheim.com/flags/flag15-kr.png "Flag of Korea (South)") | Korea (South) |
|---|---|---|
| Title |
South Korea’s Medical Tourism
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| Summary |
Many places in Asia, namely South Korea are providing health care to international patients. This healthcare is administered at a premium price and just as high of quality. Many of the hospitals in nations such as South Korea, Thailand, and The Philippines are not only providing care for patients, but are now competing on a worldwide level in different ways. They are battling to provide ambiance and resort-like qualities.
From personal experience, a hospital in Thailand rivals many five-star hotels in other countries. With fine cuisine and impeccable service, these hospitals are state of the art. One article states that South Korea is taking an Island and creating a “Health Town,” a 370-acre resort which provides health care amenities. “A visitor from China could have a medical checkup and his wife could have knee surgery while their children cavort on the beach” (1).
South Korea will host the 2008 International Medical Travel Conference from November 19-21 in Seoul. Many different countries will discuss their plans for expansion, as well as the hopeful pursuit of more successful medical tourism.
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| Analysis |
As great as medical tourism is for an advancement of interdependence on an international level, it is hard not to think about what this tourism is doing to the less wealthy within the country who cannot seek this lavish form of health care. Again, speaking from experience in Thailand, only a small percentage of the population can afford to see out medical attention in the more expensive hospitals. And yes, the hospitals may be inexpensive on an international scale, but from within the Nation they can only be afforded by the few. From the hospital I visited, there was even another hospital down the road a bit which was not as nice, and had a higher population of Thai patients.
In South Korea, there is the issue that many doctors will flee from Public Health jobs in order to make more money with medical tourism from foreigners. Officials in South Korea have only negated this concept with, “the effort to attract discriminating foreigners could inspire more local hospitals to upgrade their services” (2). This does not help the many citizens of South Korea who cannot afford to pay for the upgraded hospitals once they are built or renovated.
In addition, although this health care helps many of these country’s economies, it will in the long run hurt the United States’. It is predicted “that medical tourism could cost the American health-care sector $162 billion in lost business by 2012” (2). This is clearly an issue for the already faltering economy of the United States.
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| Perspective |  | Liberal |
| In-Region URL | ||
| Out-of-Region URL | ||
| Submitted | November 13, 2008 at 6:03 pm | |
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