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SEOUL: Kuwait's Ministry of Health (MoH) is considering the possibility of dispatching some of its patients to South Korean hospitals for treatment, a ministry official said yesterday. Speaking after a tour of South Korean medical facilities and their capabilities, MoH Assistant Undersecretary for Assisted Healthcare, Qais Al-Dowairy, said that hospitals in the country were advanced and included state-of-the-art equipment, as well as highly skilled staff.

MoH is also thinking of sending Kuwaiti doctors to the country for training, especially in the field of spinal cord surgery. Advanced technology is used in this particular field of surgery through sophisticated microscopic lenses, Al-Dowairy indicated.

An agreement with South Korean authorities has also been carried out, whereby Kuwait will host a number of specialists in cancer and orthopedic (bone) surgery.

South Korea is aiming to become the number one destination for foreign patients, especially those from oil-rich Arabian Gulf states. Meanwhile, Kuwait will be receiving South Korean medical experts soon as a step to bolster bilateral medical relations, head of the department of retirees and treatment abroad for Kuwait's Ministry of Defense, Sheikh Sabah Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, said in Kuwait yesterday.

Sheikh Sabah said that the visits would boost medical cooperation between the two states and would lead to the exchange of expertise. The official lauded the Defense Ministry's efforts to develop its medical services by attracting top level world physicians.

Around 277 South Korean medical institutions expressed interests in treating Kuwaiti patients in Korea. The number of foreign patients receiving treatment in South Korea is expected to reach nearly 50,000 by the end of 2009.