With imported cases being one of the biggest reasons for recent COVID-19 cases in South Korea, the country was considering institutionalizing charges for treatment, and it happened yesterday (26th July)!

Read on to find out more with this article from The Korea Herald!

South Korea plans to charge foreign patients infected with COVID-19 for their hospitalization and treatment costs, amid a surge in the number of imported cases involving foreign nationals.

“We will make foreign patients pay the whole or part of the cost for their hospitalization, but will do so under the principle of reciprocity considering diplomatic relations,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday at a pangovernmental meeting on the COVID-19 response.

Under the current law, the costs of COVID-19 testing, in-hospital care and other treatment are covered by the Korean government regardless of nationality.

The medical fees for COVID-19 patients depend on the conditions, underlying illnesses and number of days spent in medical facilities.

The push for such a change comes as the rising number of foreign patients among imported cases poses a burden on the country’s medical system.

Koreans masking up in the heavy rainfall.

In the past two weeks, 63.2 percent of COVID-19 cases have been imported from overseas, as the virus pandemic shows no signs of abating around the globe.

So far, an estimated 700 foreign nationals have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Korea.

The government said it will push for a revision of related laws to introduce the change. Details are sketchy, but officials say they will likely have those who “intentionally cause a burden to the country’s quarantine and medical system” and who violate self-quarantine rules pay for their own expenses.

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