SEOUL: South Korea has gathered US$349 million in 2014, down 6.5% compared with 2013, according to the latest statistics published by the Bank of Korea. It was the first decline in medical tourism revenue since the central bank started collecting comparable data in 2006.
The South Korean government began to promote medical tourism in 2009 under the brand name of “Medical Korean Wave.” The relevant industry’s revenue has experienced a year-by-year increase since then. An increasing number of dispute cases involving plastic surgery, however, have been casting a shadow over the country’s leading service industry in recent years. Experts predict, henceforth, that the medical tourism industry may suffer a slow down.
“Many factors have contributed to this trend, including the slowing global economy and the after effects caused by the critical reports about dubious plastic surgeons in South Korea,” Cho Soo Young, public relations director of the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons, told Xinhua. On Jan. 27, a 50 year old Chinese woman was declared brain dead following a surgery at a small clinic in Seoul’s Gangnam district. The clinic has since been closed, as it was accused of conducting its surgeries in violation of the country’s health laws.
This case has again raised concerns about the safety of the country’s plastic surgery industry. Huge doll eyes, high-bridged noses, V-shaped chin lines and pale, white skin, are just some of the physical changes sought for at South Korea’s growing number of cosmetic surgery clinics. Cho said that South Korea’s leading plastic surgery industry is facing some severe problems. According to Cho, less than 2,000 surgeons are officially registered in South Korea, but actually a total of more than 20,000 cosmetic surgeons are operating in the market. It was also reported that the number of illegal intermediary medical agents are booming, mainly focusing on absorbing overseas customers through misleading promotions with high brokerage fees. Some overseas students and travel agencies have also started to make money by acting as intermediaries, getting 30%-50% from the total surgical fees.
“Customers should be cautious about these agents as they care more about money than customer safety. Customers should contact hospitals or doctors directly and thoroughly before making a final decision, not blindly trusting advertisements,” said Park Jang-woo, the head of a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul. Local media has exposed some clinics who have switched experienced doctors who have signed the agreements with customers beforehand, to young ones during the actual surgeries to make bigger profit. These so-called “ghost doctors” are an open secret in the industry.
Some clinics also charge foreign customers more than locals. Local media reported that Chinese customers, in some instances, have to pay double or triple the price for an ordinary surgery such as double eyelids and rhinoplasty. Cho said the South Korean government is making greater efforts in fighting against those illegal institutions and practices, and is considering passing stricter laws to regulate malpractice in the medical service sector.
