Monday, December 7, 2009

Koreans Visit Hospitals ALL THE TIME

A new study released by the Organisation for Economic and Community Development (OECD) says Koreans visit hospitals way more than most other nations.

From the story:

'Koreans visit hospitals for diagnosis and treatment a lot more often than other nations. According to a survey by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, each Korean sees a doctor 11.8 times a year on average, nearly double the OECD average of 6.8 times a year. Only the Japanese (13.6 times) and the Czech (12.6 times) visit hospitals more often.'

If you spend any time living in Korea, this idea becomes pretty clear. Any time a Korean even feels under the weather, he or she goes to the hospital or a clinic.

This year, I had a little cough about two weeks ago, and every day, at least 5 teachers told me I had to get to the hospital right away.

Financially, it's simply less expensive to go to the hospital and get medicine here than in the United States. Most visits to a doctor or clinic only run a few thousand won (a couple of dollars) and the most expensive medicine I had to get one time was 7,000 won (a little more than $6).

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