It’s an odd dynamic: Personal health is obviously crucial to life, yet expats in many countries often overlook it. In many cases, language and cultural barriers prevent expats from seeking preventative care and potential hospitals and doctors in case of emergencies.
But it’s wise to have your treatment options already mapped out, and the following information will help you do just that.
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Seoul Medical Referral Service (MRS)
For medical assistance, those living in Seoul can call the 24-hour medical referral service line. This service is provided by the Seoul Global Center, and will get you the appropriate medical assistance needed for the situation.
You can reach the MRS at:
(010) 4769-8212 and/or (010) 8750-8212
Do you have a qualification in Medicine, Nursing or an Allied Health profession?? Would you like to volunteer your time to provide English-speaking callers with medical referrals here in Seoul?
The Medical Referral Service (MRS) has been operating in Seoul for over 30 years and is funded by the Seoul Global Center. The MRS is staffed by a team of expatriate English-speaking volunteers who provide confidential medical referrals and clinic recommendations to callers. We’re currently recruiting more members to join this small but committed team.
MRS team members take turns on-call with one of two cell phones, taking calls from English-speakers seeking referrals to hospitals, clinics and medical specialists throughout Seoul. Full information and training is provided. As the service operates through designated cell phones, it is a part-time role that can easily be fitted around other lifestyle activities. The MRS is not an emergency service, and the team does not provide medical advice. This is a very fulfilling role for those who enjoy talking with others and assisting people through voluntary work. MRS Team members must be fluent English speakers, empathic and hold a medically-related qualification. Team Members are paid a small amount for being on-call.
Further inquiries, please contact the MRS at 010-4769-8212 or email to Jeongmae, Park at medicalreferral@seoul.go.kr
When moving to another country, you usually consider big issues like where to live and where to work, but something people often forget is that the methods and connections to information and help that they need may be very different as well.
There is a great deal of information that nationals know about their own countries that is not always obvious, or even told, to foreigners. For example, those from the United States generally know that when you pick up the phone, you can dial 0 for an operator, 911 for emergency medical/fire services, 611 (from a cell phone) to get to your provider’s customer service center, and 411 for business and phone number listings.
However, if an American were to come to Korea and need help in an emergency, picking up the phone and dialing 911 would give them nothing but a woman’s voice on a recording, pleasantly announcing that either the number does not exist, or that he/she has dialed an incomplete phone number. Oh, and the message would be in Korean too, so there might be a chance that the caller doesn’t understand what’s going on.
Information and emergency numbers differ from country to country, along with what service they provide and what languages they provide them in. Although not much can be done about the fact that these numbers are all different, here are some numbers that can be of most help to international residents living in Korea.
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1. What is the National Health Insurance in Korea?
To enhance the public health and strengthen social security, the national health insurance provides health care benefits against illnesses and injuries for insured persons. Insured persons under the NHI program are classified into two categories: the employed insured and the self-employed insured. Anyone who has resided in Korea for longer than 3 months and is either employed by a company or self-employed is required to have NHI. If you enter Korea and then later become employed or self-employed NHI contributions will be retroactive, regardless of the day you sign up for NHI.
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Currently, there are no compulsory vaccinations are required to enter South Korea. However, particulary in the summer time, you may have a higher risk of contracting these seasonal diseases:
1. H1N1 Flu: Swine flu
Background
Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that first caused illness in Mexico and the United States in March and April, 2009. It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread, mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus, but it may also be spread by touching infected objects and then touching your nose or mouth. Novel H1N1 infection has been reported to cause a wide range of flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. In addition, many people also have reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.
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