Korean medical institutions are well-equipped with the latest medical equipment. Korea has ranked 3rd in terms of availability of mammogram, MRI and CT scanners per 1 million population out of 34 OECD countries in 2008.
Hight number of diagnostic equipment is being used (2008)
- - No. of CT Scanner: 36.8 units per 1 million population (UK 7.4, US 34.3)
- - No. of MRI: 17.6 units per 1 million population (UK 5.6, Canada 6.7, US 25.9)
Korea has further acquired cutting-edge medical equipment such as Proton Therapy, PET-MRI, Gamma Knife and da Vinci Robot to provide even better health outcomes.
Proton Therapy Facility
PET-MRI
Gamma Knife
da Vinci Robot
Advanced technology comes with a reasonable price
Proton Therapy Center
- Available in only 29 hospitals worldwide
- $15,000-20,000 in Korea vs.
$60,000-75,000 in USA
Radiosurgery CyberKnife/Gamma Knife
- Gaining popularity in Korea
- Same procedure, lower price
CyberKnife:- $18,000-20,000 in Korea vs.
- $38,000-55,000 in USA
Robotic Surgery
- Total of 33 da Vinci Surgical Systems in place
- 1 leading hosital equipped with 5 da Vinci
Comparable quality with only about 20-30% of the cost in the USA
| Surgery | USA | KOREA | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart Bypass | $94,500 | $22,000 | 23% |
| Hysterectomy | $31,500 | $5,300 | 17% |
| Hip Replacement | $44,000 | $11,000 | 25% |
| Knee Replacement | $44,000 | $11,000 | 25% |
| Spinal Fusion | $83,000 | $13,000 | 16% |
- Source: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service (2010)
- Korea Health Industry Development Institute (2010)