Korean Job Discussion Forums

[guobaoyobro]

Hey all,

So I had an inguinal hernia diagnosed in Thailand. Was going to have it taken care of in China on CNY, but, woops, not happening. N.E. China is not the place for this.

So instead of going all the way back to Thailand : Easiest flight is to Korea.

I only have seven days off, so i need to get in and get sliced, to begin healing. In a hundred hours of research I keep seeing people paying 400,000 won, but I assume this is with insurance, as I can't find anything less than 1.5 million. I don't speak a lick of Korean.

Thing is, I've called about 11 hospital across Busan, Seoul, and it's been a different story every time.

50% want a pre-screen, then to wait 1-3 days.
50% seem to be fine with me coming and getting it done that day, but even then, I'm worried that tune will change once I land.

Price is wildly swinging from 1.5 million - 4 million for both the Laparoscopic or the Open.

A doctor at SNUH in Seoul seems to be cheapest, but the guy didn't even remember to delete his past e-mail chain (which is wildly concerning in itself...patient confidentiality, what?) and he's also all over the place with price in those past e-mails.

Thoughts?

I have $1,500 total to get this done + flight.[/b]

[Chaucer]

This might be off topic, but I had a hernia diagnosed in Korea about 15 years ago--on complaints of mild inguinal pain from me--and they were about to operate when my boss said, basically, Korean doctors diagnose operations just to make money--you might not have a hernia. I postponed the already-scheduled operation. Doctor in US later that year said I might have had a groin sprain--that there was no hernia. So my question--do you trust the doctor in Thailand and do you have anything sticking out? To that second question, I didn't, and my doctor in the US couldn't believe anyone had diagnosed a hernia. Just my two cents.
Beyond that you probably have more info than anyone here if you've looked into so many clinics.

[guobaoyobro]

Ha. That's interesting.

I have had it checked in both Thailand, and China, after pretty much knowing it was a hernia from the get go. Same answers. Inguinal Hernia.

I'm tempted to just let it sit, but I travel A LOT, and am very active, and don't want it to explode on me somewhere bad.

[EZE]

I had one done on October 24, 2014 at Joyfull Hospital in Gangnam. Korean national health insurance reduced the price to around 150,000 but I had to get an ultrasound done beforehand. I think it was 100,000 or so, but national health insurance doesn't cover ultrasounds, so that's probably what it would cost you too. I'm pretty sure they require an EKG before any surgery. Mine was open surgery and I could've left the evening of the surgery, but I chose to stay overnight since my insurance covered the cost of staying in the ward 100%. I'm guessing you're looking at maybe a shade under $1000 without insurance.

Their website is joyfullhospital.com. Call and ask to speak with Stephen. He's the chaplain/interpreter there. He's such a great person and can find out prices for you and interpret when you get there.

Good luck!

[guobaoyobro]

Well, for future reference :

I've called about 9 hospitals in Seoul.

Most were around 2-3.5 million won for laparascopic, which I need for the faster healing time. This price seems standard across Asia now, with Japan being much higher.

I finally found a small clinic "Seoul Surgical Hospital" that will do it for 1.5 million without a 2-3 day pre-appointment. Dr. Kang. Seems like a nice guy, speaks decent English. Answers my questions very quickly.

Will let you all know how it shakes out. Will also leave thorough reviews if he's good, as there's not a wealth of info on the place.

[EZE]

[guobaoyobro]

[EZE]