Six out of 100 people here visit Oriental medical doctors, a Ministry of Health and Welfare survey found Thursday.

Expensive treatment and lingering doubts about the safety of medicines are stopping more people from choosing traditional treatments over Western practices, the authority said.

According to research conducted on 5,507 people who have used Oriental medicine, as well as 471 Oriental medical institutions and 863 places selling Oriental medicines, 86.5 percent of people use Western medical institutions for ailments. Only 6 percent said they visit their nearest Oriental medical clinic or hospital.

The majority of the users were 60 or older, showing that younger people are turning their backs on traditional practices. The most-treated areas were back and joints, requiring physical therapy. Improving their stamina or aesthetic treatments such as dieting were also popular. Many of the respondents said they received acupuncture, medication and moxibustion at clinics.

About 81.9 percent said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the treatment and about 76.5 percent trusted the treatment, compared to 0.1 percent of respondents showing distrust and doubt.

The largest obstacle to public access to Oriental medicine was the price. Once hospitalized, it is common to have to spend more than 1 million won ($850). Soaring medication and treatment fees also prevented people from visiting Oriental clinics regularly.

Doubt over the safety of the medicines is also plaguing the industry. The Health Ministry recently announced a set of guidelines to monitor and manage individual ingredients of the medicines in a bid to ensure quality and safety.

“This is the first time the government has conducted research on Oriental medicine use. We are planning to expand our support so that more people will be able to use the treatments without worrying about money or safety,” said Kim Yong-ho, a ministry official in charge of Oriental medicine.

“We urge the government to cover the Oriental medical fee with the national health insurance fund as it does for most Western medical practices. This will solve the pricing problem,” said Han Jin-woo, spokesman of the Association of Korean Oriental Medicine.

“We are also striving to quash rumors about Oriental medicine, bridging the younger generation with the traditional treatments and highlighting the more scientific aspect of our practices. We are hoping Oriental medical clinics will be first visited for ailments such as cold or stomachache.”

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