Seoul’s Medical Referral Service for Foreigners Underutilized

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Fri, December 8, 2023 | 09:13

Seoul’s Medical Referral Service for Foreigners Underutilized

Posted : 2009-10-08 18:18

Updated : 2009-10-08 18:18

By Ines Min
Contributing Writer

The prospect of visiting a hospital is typically accompanied by anxiety and confusion over where to go, whom to see and whether or not the ailment is something to worry about.

But in Seoul, people fraught with worry can call the Medical Referral Service (MRS), a free telephone hotline available 24-hours a day.

The English-language service is a bastion of medical information available to answer general medical queries and offer counseling. The only catch is that the service is difficult to use if you've never heard of it before.

The expat-run commodity has provided advice and insider information on the ins and outs of medical facilities since 1976, but in a poll of foreigners living in Seoul for nine months to six years, each respondent showed surprise at its mention.

"I've never heard of it," said Tom Hicken, a Canadian English teacher. "And I like to think I know what's going on in the foreign community."

When Hicken first arrived here three years ago, he said he often turned to friends or co-workers for suggestions on where to go for medical treatment. He said it would have been helpful to have known about the MRS.

Of the 1.1 million foreigners living in Korea, roughly 279,000 of them lived in Seoul as of last year, according to Seoul City.

In 2008, 774 people called the MRS. For the first nine months of this year, 556 calls were received, which is an increase of two to three calls weekly.

"I think that it's important that our service is well marketed and we work with the Seoul Global Center to find creative and successful ways to do that," said the MRS coordinator, wishing to remain anonymous.

"Advertising is just something that needs to be ongoing."

Currently, the service is listed on Seoul City's Web site and is working on creating a Facebook page.

Its staff of medically-trained volunteers equipped with cell phones is available 24-hours a day. At any given time, two of the eight staff members have a phone on their person.

The 33 years of dedication behind the MRS has provided an opportunity to collect useful information on hospitals and clinics, culminating in a 50-page medical encyclopedia for the city that volunteers refer to during calls.

"We have visited every single clinic in the 50-page manual," the coordinator said. "That is a very important part of our work, not just to send people to places that we have never visited."

"It sounds like it's a great service," said Jennifer Flynn, an expat and South Korean resident for six years. "I just never knew it existed."

The Medical Referral Service can be reached at any time at 010-4769-8212 or 010-8750-8212.

seninim@gmail.com