The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) said it has established a health insurance service center in Seoul to provide better services for foreigners who are eligible for the state health insurance system.

About 50 government officials, including NHIS President Kim Yong-ik, celebrated the opening of the service center in Guro-dong, Guro-gu, in Seoul, on Friday. The district is easily accessible to the southwestern area of Seoul.

The healthcare center will help obtain the national health insurance for foreigners living in the southwestern Seoul, which also includes Yeongdeungpo-gu, Geumcheon-gu, and Gwanak-gu.

Expats, who subscribe the insurance independently without being employed, can visit the center to obtain or change the health insurance and pay insurance premiums.

Subscribers as an employee can see their insurance work done at an NHIS branch office that has jurisdiction over the workplace. The branch office will also handle insurance payment, state-supported health checkups, and long-term care services for independent subscribers.

The NHIS said the center would solve the inconvenience of waiting for long for many foreigners and provide better services for both local and foreign subscribers.

“We will establish standardized work manuals to improve the equity of the work process and continuously seek if there is anything we can improve the system, related to the health insurance coverage for foreigners,” an NHIS official said. “We will analyze the result of the pilot operation of the center and see whether to expand it.”