Korean Healthcare

Like a billion years ago I asked readers to submit questions about Korea so I would have things to write about.  Three of you commented.  Good job Rebecca, Uncle John W., and Uncle David!  You are winning.  But, like the bad blogger I am, I have yet to answer all of your questions and comments.  No worries though, because I am going to fix some of that now.

Rebecca asks:

What is their (note: meaning Korean) health care system like? (nerd question!)

Good question Rebecca!  I wish I knew.  Actually, no I don't.  Because that would mean I have been to the doctor here.  And I luckily have not.

So the reality is that I personally have not gotten sick enough yet to warrant going to the doctor.  My medical interactions have been limited to the school nurse and my pharmacist.  The school nurse was great because one time when my shoulder hurt she gave me a sticky heating pad to use.  And one time when I had a stomachache she gave me magical Korean meds that cured me.  She did the same thing two times when I had a cold.  And maybe once gave me IBprofen for a headache.  Basically she was just nice to me and cared a little bit.  That's really all you need when you're sick.

My pharmacist is also awesome.  He speaks no English but every time I go in with a dictionary and broken Korean he listens and helps me and I'm in and out in 5 minutes or less.  He never freaks out because I'm a foreigner.  A very cool guy.  

But none of this answers the question of what the overall healthcare system is really like. So for the answer to that I am going to turn you towards this post from Ask a Korean.  Ask a Korean is a fantastic blog written by a Korean guy who immigrated to America at age 16.  He answers any and all questions about Korea and has been a fantastic and entertaining resource.  I highly recommend reading if you have time to kill at work.