From as early as next year, foreign patients visiting Korea for medical services will be able to buy prescription drugs at hospitals or clinics, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

A relevant bill revision draft was approved at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Currently, all prescriptions written by doctors and can only be filled at pharmacies. Medical institutions are banned from selling drugs to individual patients.

“Foreigners have a hard time understanding the system. Furthermore, because they do not know the Korean language, finding a pharmacy and asking for the right medicine is hard for them,” a ministry official said, explaining that the revision is intended to ensure convenience for foreigners.

However, foreigners registered in Korea as residents will be excluded from the plan.

“Medical institutions should verify patients’ sojourn status when issuing prescriptions,” the official said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)