Medical Tourism Experts to Meet in Seoul

By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

More than 1,000 experts in medical tourism from over 25 countries will meet in Seoul in April at the Global Healthcare & Medical Tourism Conference Korea 2010, Asia's largest medical congress, for networking and educational opportunities.

The Korea Healthcare Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) will organize the event from April 13-16 and has recently opened a Web Site for the conference at http://www.medical-korea.org.

Officials from the OECD, the Medical Tourism Association, the Dubai Health Authority, the German Healthcare Services, the Texas Medical Center and the UnitedHealth International and other associated organizations will be featured in the event's conference programs and workshops.

"Korea is viewed as a medical tourism destination with huge growth potential. With globalization and increasing movement of population across national borders, more people travel to foreign countries for optimal medical services," said Jeon Jae-hee, the Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Minister, in a welcome message. "The Conference will serve as a great opportunity to help you better understand the standards of Korea's medical technology and discuss global healthcare issues, to contribute to improved health of all and the creation of sound medical tourism market."

As Korea becomes a popular destination for patients from the U.S. as well as Asian countries, Korea will has been actively promoting its medical expertise in cancer treatment, organ transplantation, joint & rheumatism care, spinal and infertility treatments.

Korea is also known for traditional medicine, ophthalmology, dental care and plastic surgery.

"There has been a significant increase in incoming foreign patients looking for Korea's world-class healthcare services," Dr. Kim Bup-wan, the President of KHIDI said. "As the leading healthcare country in Asia, we'd like to discuss all the critical issues relating to the global healthcare industry, and the best ways to develop the industry through the Global Healthcare & Medical Tourism Congress Korea 2010."

Through the conference, the KHIDI will share Korea's plans for further developing the medical tourism.

The conference is also expected to provide comprehensive information-sharing on case studies, legal issues and marketing strategies for a worldwide selection of healthcare providers, international insurance companies, top medical tourism facilitators, travel agencies and physicians.

The conference is a joint initiative between the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) and the government-funded KHIDI.

The KHIDI is in charge of developing national strategies and policies on global healthcare industry and conducting projects to promoting the Korean healthcare to the world.

It has three overseas offices in New York, Beijing, and Singapore for regional marketing.

The MTA is the first international non-profit association made up of top hospitals, healthcare providers, medical tourism facilitators, insurance companies, and associations dedicated to promoting quality healthcare worldwide.

For more information, visit http://www.MedicalTourismAssociation.com