Seeing a doctor when you are sick

Right now

1. 1For mild symptoms, a local clinic. If it is sudden and severe, the emergency room.
2. 2If you are enrolled in health insurance, your costs drop a lot. Check whether you are covered.
3. 3For prescriptions, use a pharmacy. For mild things, buy it at the pharmacy directly.

What to have ready

• ID: Passport or Alien Registration Card.
• Health insurance details: Bring them if you have them.
• A payment method that works

Phrases you can copy and paste

Step by step

1. 1

   Pick the place that fits your symptoms

   A local clinic for mild symptoms, a hospital for specialist care, the emergency room if it is urgent. A clinic is a safe first choice.

2. 2

   Check whether you have health insurance

   If you are enrolled, your share of the cost drops a lot. If not, ask about the cost before you go.

3. 3

   Prepare in advance if language worries you

   Write your symptoms in Korean to bring, or check whether the place has interpretation. A translation app helps too.

4. 4

   Fill a prescription at a pharmacy

   Where:

   Pharmacy

   You get the prescription at the clinic and the medicine at a nearby pharmacy. Mild medicine you can buy at the pharmacy directly.

The Korean words

의원uiwon· local clinic

A neighborhood clinic. Start here for mild symptoms.

응급실eung-geupsil· emergency room

Where you go when it is urgent. The wait and cost can be high.

건강보험geon-gang-boheom· health insurance

If you are enrolled, your costs drop a lot.

약국yakguk· pharmacy

Where you fill prescriptions and buy mild medicine.

Easy to miss

• ·Going to the emergency room for something that is not urgent means a long wait and a high cost. If it is mild, a clinic is better.
• ·Care without health insurance can cost more than you expect, so ask first.

You can skip this if

• If you are here briefly on travel insurance only, claims work differently, so follow that guidance.

Where this comes from

• National Health Insurance Service