US$14k average spend on medical travel to Korea

According to a recent survey by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare of 1,200 foreign medical tourists who visited in 2018, the average spending in Korea was US$14,029 per person in 2018, which includes treatment as well as travel, food, accommodation and tourism costs. Patients from the Middle East spent the most.

By country, foreign medical tourists to South Korea from the Middle East spent the most with US$44,169 on average, followed by those from Mongolia (US$38,384), Central Asia (US$15,361), and Russia (US$12,688).

Their average satisfaction score on the medical services they received was 90.5 out of 100 in 2018. Their satisfaction score has improved from 88 in 2012, 88.3 in 2013, 90.1 in 2014, 90.5 in 2015, 90.3 in 2016, and 90.5 in 2017.

By country, medical tourists from Russia were most satisfied with the services they received with a score of 94.4, followed by those from seven countries in Central Asia including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with 92.5, the USA with 91.8, China with 90.1, Southeast Asia with 89.8, the Middle East with 89.5, and Mongolia with 85.2.

Foreign medical tourists were most satisfied with staff service with an average score of 92.7 and hospital convenience 92.3. Their satisfaction score for medical costs, meanwhile, came lower at 85.8 and for communication and patient respect category 89.8 points.

The survey showed that 94.8% of foreign medical tourists are willing to recommend Korean medical care they received to others.

Medical technology is the most important factor foreign medical tourists consider when choosing to receive medical care in Korea (41.5%), followed by the reputation of medical team (18.4%), and foreign language service (13%). More than half of the respondents said they received recommendations for medical institutions from families and friends, while 17.1 % searched online.