The following articles are introductions presented to The Korea Herald by the heads of three of the four hospitals that have signed the patient referral deal with Abu Dhabi.

Samsung Medical Center

Samsung Medical Center consists of 40 departments, eight special centers and more than 110 special clinics. The medical institution is a tertiary hospital with 1,996 sickbeds where approximately 7,000 staff work, including 1,355 doctors and 2,380 nurses.

Famous for its outstanding performance in lung cancer treatment, the hospital has put its cancer center, armed with state-of-the-art equipment and a skilled workforce to the forefront.

The hospital established Samsung Medical Center in Dubai Health Care City last April 7 in collaboration with Index Holdings, a first among domestic medical institutions. 

“The hospital has already formed official ties with local governments in the Middle East. The Dubai government and our hospital have signed a memorandum of understanding on patient referrals. We will be seeking more official routes to attract foreign patients,” said center president Choi Han-yong.

Indeed, the Dubai Health Care City is just a 10-minute drive from an international airport, the downtown area and other central city locations. In the city, the 1,106-square-meter clinic with endoscopic, cardio-ultrasonic, recovery and treatment rooms has two dispatched doctors and two nurses as well as a medical equipment manager.

“We are also inviting noted local doctors to work for the clinic as attending doctors to localize our service and create stable infrastructure at an early stage,” Choi said.

Choi stressed that the pact allowing the United Arab Emirates to refer its patients to select South Korean medical institutions is significant in light of the great potential for other Middle East states.

“Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other Middle East states provide subsidies for their nationals to receive proper treatments abroad, which is truly an advanced medical welfare system. The states have joined partnerships with Singapore, Thailand and European countries. Now they are moving to us. The decision will have an influence on neighboring countries,” he said.

So what is so special about Samsung? “When dealing with people in the Middle East, you need to have an understanding of the Islamic culture. We have it,” he said.



Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital

Seoul St. Mary’s hospital is a flagship medical institution of the Catholic Medical Center, which boasts one of the largest medical networks containing eight subsidiary hospitals and seven research centers in Korea. It has 1,320 beds, 43 clinical departments, 756 doctors and 1,700 nurses seeing 6,000 outpatients a day.

The hospital is known for its optical, joint and bone marrow transplant surgeries.

To enhance patient safety, the hospital has acquired ISO 9001 certification on product safety, a first for a medical institution in Korea. In 2010, it gained JCI accreditation ensuring global standards of safety and convenience.

The hospital’s international health care center provides interpretation service in English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and French. It looked after more than 10,000 foreign patients in 2010.

The hospital has also made extra efforts for Muslim patients, establishing a prayer room on the 21st floor. A VIP room can accommodate more than 10 family members and guardians, the hospital said. 

“The hospital has continuously cooperated with the health ministry in developing a market model for the Middle East patients,” said Hwang Tae-kon, president of the hospital.

“We hope patients from Abu Dhabi and other parts of the world will trust our tailored services since most prevailed diseases in the region are chronic diseases such as diabetes or serious diseases such as cancer and disc-spinal disorders,” he said.

For the convenience of the patients as well as their guardians and family members, the hospital is also providing an airport pick-up service, Arabic translation and interpretation and Halal-based foods for Muslim patients.

Coordinators also organize accommodation at the JW Marriott hotel and link to Middle Eastern food at the Palace Hotel, both of which are nearby.

“We have found that there is a strong need among Middle Eastern patients for high-end service in both medical and non-medical fields while they stay in Korea. We are sure that they will get what they want here,” Hwang said.


Seoul National University Hospital

There is no doubt that Seoul National University Hospital has been a leader here with its top-tier workforce stressing research and development as well as clinical practice. It is now committed to providing world-class medical education, research and patient care.

Having led in diagnosis for almost a century, the hospital has stepped up efforts to lead the medical field as well with its cutting-edge equipment and the brand new cancer treatment center next to the main building. With the new building, the hospital has become one of the largest in the country with 4,000 beds, 8,400 staff looking over 4 million outpatients and about 150,000 inpatients annually. 

SNUH has accumulated experience in foreign patient treatment by joining hands with foreign embassies in Seoul over patient referrals. The fact that more than 1,500 journal papers were written by its staff has secured public trust, too, said Jung Hee-won, president and CEO of the hospital.

“Our hospital has already signed a similar agreement with a Kazakhstani national hospital and medical research center. We hope our knowledge and experience will be clearly recognized in the field when looking after Abu Dhabi patients,” he said.

The hospital renovated its international healthcare center last year and established a system on patient referral-transfer-examination-diagnosis-treatment protocol for foreign patients. Services are available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Russian and volunteers also provide other language services if necessary.

“We have also established Halal menu from Itaewon and a prayer room for the Muslims. We also have a concierge service to take over hotel reservation and air port pick up service by ambulance, among others. All the processes are organized by coordinators who are well-versed with foreign culture and language,” Jung said.

The hospital has recently upgraded its Arabic language website, which is expected to enhance understanding of the hospital.

“We hope the pact will be a starting point for the two countries’ as well as our hospitals’ exchanges in not only treatment but also research, education and training sectors,” he added.