Currently, medical tourism is getting popular globally and many governments are using medical tourism as a successful business model.
Though this model is largely successful, there are many incidences where this form of medical services results in conflicts between service providers and patients during and after the treatment episodes. Such conflicts are growing each year due to increased volume of medical tourism.
This study targeted Mongolian patients who experienced medical tours to Korea. Main purpose of this research was to investigate the positive and negative aspects of this type of medical services. The case study scrutinized the detail of medical procedures and interpreted based on the legal aspects in case of any conflict. The findings can lead to ease future conflicts.
The followings are findings and conclusions from present study on the medical tourism in Korea.
1. Some improvements are needed in the area of overall management procedures, policies to render follow up cares, more clearly defined rules and adherence to the rules during the treatment process for patients of foreign origin.
2. More aggressive advertisement and dissemination of information are necessary regarding the law related to medical tourism, method of conflict resolution for malpractice cases and information about mediation organizations. More preventive measures against inconvenience during the medical tour are needed.
3. Legislative activities regarding medical practices are much advanced in Korea compared to that of Mongolia but there are more rooms for improvement. Continued research and survey of medical tourism practices are suggested to prevent future conflicts and if necessary, revise the law to reflect the reality.
4. Several branches of Mongolian Government including Departments of Justice, Health of Ministry and Medical Service related Organizations are urgently asked to undergo legislation process to handle the ever increasing number of Mongolians traveling to Korea for medical care. By continued in-depth study of this trend, many future conflicts and inconveniences can be resolved. A cooperation between the two nations will be very beneficial in the research of medical tourism including collection, analysis and interpretation of statistics, assisted by the advanced information technology.