Policies to Promote Medical Tourism in Korea: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND: There is a growing global demand for medical tourism while more people are moving across borders in Asia, offering new opportunities to the high-value medical tourism market. The purpose of this study was to provide grounds for promoting the International Meditour Coordinator (IMC), issued as a national license in Korea and to provide the evidence for the efficient use of the IMC in the field of health care. METHODS: We examined the trend of professional manpower in the rapidly-changing Korean medical market by analyzing the operational status of professional manpower in order to promote medical tourism, which began in 2009 in Korea. We also analyzed the problems of the national qualification system for the IMC and sought to improve the professionalism and usability of the national qualification system by improving the quality satisfaction of the professionals who support the growth of the medical tourism industry. RESULTS: In Korea, IMCs are responsible for detailed support services in clinics, support to tourists, medical tourism marketing to support the advancement of domestic and international medical institutions in each market, medical tourism counseling, risk management, and administrative work, thereby contributing to the development and enhancement of competitiveness in Korea’s global healthcare industry. CONCLUSION: To support the growth of the medical tourism industry, which is a global trend, and increase user satisfaction with the quality of medical tourist services, it is urgently necessary to establish human resource management policy guidelines in the medical tourism industry based on the current operational status of professional human resources and the future prospect of supply and demand in the sector.