People wait in line at Jeju International Airport on the southern resort island of Jeju on Sept. 21, 2021. (Yonhap)
JEJU, July 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A significant number of patients on the southern island of Jeju travel to other regions, including the Seoul metropolitan area, for medical treatment because the island lacks tertiary hospitals.
An average of 14,200 Jeju residents per year underwent medical treatment on the mainland between 2012 and 2021, according to data from the National Health Insurance Service.
This figure represents about 13.8 to 16.5 percent of the island’s total patients, including those who used hospitals on the island.
Throughout this period, the annual total of island dwellers receiving medical treatment ranged from 75,209 to 104,807.
The medical expenses incurred by Jeju residents seeking treatment in other regions have been consistently increasing. It rose from 4.32 billion won (US$34.2 million) in 2012 to over 100 billion won in 2019.
In 2021, these expenses reached an all-time high of 108.03 billion won, accounting for 25.4 percent of the total medical expenses incurred by all the island’s residents.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
