[K-BIZ] Central Asian Patients to S. Korea

Many patients from Central Asia are coming to South Korea.

This is the venue of the International Medical Tourism Exhibition and Conference held in Kazakhstan's largest and former capital of Almaty.

The South Korean booth, the largest at the exhibition, is filled with visitors.

The visitors, mostly from Central Asia, appeared to know about common and Chinese medical treatments.

[Participant from Kazakhstan]
"I've taken part in this show to get information about the Korean medical tourism industry and hold meetings with my business partners."

Also among the participants in the international event were 38 South Korean hospitals. Only 10 hospitals took part in the show last year.

The Korean participants included large-scale general hospitals such as Yonsei Severance Hospital and Kyung Hee University Medical Center.

[Lee Kang-Il, board chairman, Nasaret International Hospital]
"We came here to meet with patients and potential business partners, as well as promote our hospital through this exhibition."

The number of Central Asian patients treated in South Korean hospitals rose to an estimated 500,000 last year, compared to 10,000 to 20,000 in 2012.

South Korean medical centers see that the Central Asian region has a high medical tourism market potential for them.

Because they have gained trust of the patients from the region which is not that far from Korea, geographically.