Health Issues in the News

Recently, research company AC Nielsen conducted a survey of 26,486 people in 47 countries including South Korea. South Korea had the largest number of people suffering from colds, headaches, indigestion or toothaches during a month long timeframe.

Surprisingly, 50% of the Koreans polled stated they suffered from a cold while 50% stated they had suffered from headaches and 49% had suffered from digestive problems. But Koreans are not afraid to go to the doctor, 43% stated that they see a doctor when they are sick. This reminds me of when my husband suffered from food poisoning a month ago and missed a day of work. His Korean co-workers asked if he had gone to the hospital to see a doctor and were surprised that he didn't. Apparently, if you are too sick to work, you need to see a doctor.

A big concern with hospitals is a growing lack of surgeons. The Korean Surgical Society reported that 71.4% of hospitals managed to meet the minimum requirements for surgeons this year. They also stated that 34 or 200 residents this year have quit during their internship.

Surgeons, due to government regulations, receive 36% of the patient's fee. Surgeons also run a higher risk of law suits (a lot like the US). The job of a surgeon is also very stressful with long hours and heavy workloads.

I'm learning that even socialized medicine has it's problems.

On other note, we had two more American visitors yesterday: Paris Hilton and Beyonce! I'm not sure why Paris is here but Beyonce is doing two concerts. The Korean paparazzi was all over them.