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Busan Reforms its Policy on Medical Tourism

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The City of Busan has announced a reorganization of its medical tourism policy, shifting from a focus on attracting foreign patients to an overall approach to medical care including anti-aging, bio, clinical tests, and health care industrialization. The city will also aim to attract domestic and overseas outstanding hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and medical tourism hotels, forming large development areas around the city while also continuing to dispatch medical teams overseas. This strategy reformation from the manufacturing to the high-class knowledge service industry is expected to create more high quality jobs. 

 

The Busan Medical Tourism Promoting Council was formed in January 2015 to handle policy proposals as well as analyze the overall medical industry. It will consist of experts on medical care, tourism, hotels, related agencies, and universities.

 

The pre-announcement of legislation in the revised Busan Metropolitan City Ordinance on Revitalization of Medical Tourism will be made in January 2015 and members of the Busan Medical Tourism Promoting Council will be appointed in February.

 

The city will develop long-term stay medical tourism packages through cooperation with nearby local governments’ medical tourism infrastructure. Busan will redirect its policy from short-term stay medical tourism services focused on the Busan area to strategically cooperating with the Yeongnam area including Gyeongju, Sancheong, Daegu and more.  

 

The MOUs signed between Busan and the three cities of Sancheong, Gyeongju and Daegu included items regarding western and oriental medical services, tourism of historic sites, etc., and hair transplant. Partnerships and cooperation in the private sector are also scheduled to be formed which will provide a blueprint for the establishment of medical tourism clusters in Busan and other metropolitan areas.    

 

New long-term medical tourism packages agreed on and coordinated among these three cities are set to be introduced from February 2015.