New centre for foreign patients at Incheon airport

According to The Korea Times, the Korean government has opened a Medical Tourism Support Centre at Incheon International Airport.

It is hoped that the centre will increase the convenience for foreign tourists who want to book medical procedures upon landing in Korea. The centre will be operated jointly by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Previously, the Incheon International Airport Corp. had been operating a medical tourism information centre, but the role has been expanded and integrated into the new support centre.

Medical consultants and nurses who speak foreign languages including English, Japanese, Chinese and Russian, will be on hand at the center to provide comprehensive medical consultations as well as related information on transportation, medical appointments, restaurants, accommodation facilities and tourist attractions.

Last year, Incheon city and Incheon Tourism Corp. opened a medical tourism consultation centre in Irkutsk, Russia. They said they also had plans to launch another medical tourism consultation centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan.