The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that they have installed kiosks at major subway stations in Seoul to provide information on Korean medical services to foreigners.

A medical service information kiosk located in Sinsa station, southern Seoul, set up by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

According to KHIDI, the number of foreigners visiting Korea for medical service last year hit the record high after the country started attracting foreign patients in 2009. The "2018 Statistical Analysis Report for Foreign Patients" showed that international patients who visited Korea last year totaled 378,967, an increase of 17.8 percent from the previous year.

To attract more foreign patients, the agency will install the kiosks at five subway stations – Myeongdong, Gwanghwamun, Apgujeong, Sinsa, and Gimpo International Airport – and two Medical Korea Support Centers in Myeongdong and Incheon International Airport.

The main contents provided by the kiosk include a comprehensive website for searching Korean medical services and information on local medical institutions that have received the "Korean Accreditation Program for Hospitals Serving Foreign Patients (KAHF)" certification.”

The kiosk supports four languages – English, Chinese, Japanese and Russian.

"These kiosks also provide information on the location of hospitals, their specialties, and the price range for certain procedures and surgeries," a KHIDI official told Korea Biomedical Review. "They also provide users with various medical tourism events that foreigners can participate in. Users can also send the information they want to their smartphones via QR code."

By providing information on Korean medical services to major subway stations easily accessible in real-time, the agency aims to enhance the accessibility and convenience of Korean medical services for ordinary tourists as well as foreign patients who visit Korea for treatment purposes, the official added.

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