Pusan ​​National University Hospital

Not cheap if you are foreigner who don’t have national health insurance. Those who don’t have insurance need for affordable hospital treatment bills should opted to Dong Ah University Hospital which is very nearby. Here is the comparison based on my survey in 2017, not updated. Pusan University Hospital : full blood test + consultation + medication(hypertension+panic attack) = 400,000-500,000 won Dong Ah University Hospital : full blood test + consultation + medicine(hypertension+panic attack) = 250,000-350,000 won Basically, you pay more expensive in Pusan University Hospital because of their so called International patient department- foreigners who doesn’t speak korean. While on the other hand, Dong Ah hospital, you might have language barrier in the cashier and reservation counter, but once you see doctor, no problem, most of the doctor speak basic English.

TLDR: Responsive staff with great customer service! We were on vacation in Pusan when my younger boy picked up a viral flu. We spent a really long night struggling with his blocked nose and difficulty sleeping. Googled on international clinics / Hospitals in Pusan and it didn’t take me long to find PNUH. Emailed the international health care centre for a reservation at 630am in the morning. I knew it was a long shot but was so surprised to received a reply from a staff called Alice at around 7:40am (they start work only at 9am officially). Went there at 830am and was greeted by Alice, not only they are able to speak in English, conversing in Mandarin was also something that they are good in. We managed to see the doctor with minimal hassle, got the meds and my boy is now resting in the hotel as I do the review.

.....doctors dictate their own rules... really did not like it. Not all of them were interested in actually treating me ! Did not like it. Nurses are quite nice

It’s extremely uncomfortable, crowd. I’m not definitely recommend this hospital for any of them, especially elderly or foreigners. The hospital system and protocol were unbelievably complicated and seemed just a chaos. I saw many elder patients asked questions in relation to some direction where to go and what supposed to do to nurses but nurses’ behaviours were so unkind and inappropriate, some shouted out to one old lady who didn’t understand what to do. Even doctors/professors were worse. I met 2 doctors but both didn’t explain properly and it looked they just would want to remove patients in front of his desk as soon as possible since there were so many patients stood out there for waiting. Moreover the doctors didn’t seem interest to listen patient’s difficulties. What only they did, looking at the computer monitor screen and said what kind of medicine would need - of course it’s impossible for my old father to understand why he would need so many pills. No questions by my father was taken sincerely. As I said I seemed the hospital aims to make money to diagnose patients as many as possible but not really to try to pay attention to patients. I felt I’m in a manufacturing factory instead of a professional national hospital. The worse thing, a prescription was not promptly updated on the hospital system. Therefore I had to return to hospital twice from the pharmacy which is situated out of the hospital, in order to make the prescription corrected since a pharmacist questioned something looked not okay. Twice ! In fact, the prescription was wrong - it’s completely not acceptable for the patient who got a heart attack a week ago. My father & I went to the hospital from 8.30 and all progresses to meet 3 doctors (1 doc - only my father, 2 docs - I attended with my father) were done 17.00 due to a so complicated system and wrong prescriptions, also so many waiting hours in which was no enough space to sit, lack of seats even. I strongly do not recommend this hospital. The hospital need to get some audits by government or by some medical association. Also it can’t be a ‘national’ hospital it’s shame. There are so many notes on the wall and on the reception desks that ‘please ask any questions we will answer with kindness’. However there were neither nurses nor doctors to answer well. Please do not spend your precious time there. Find a better hospital and doctors.

They are all great here!!,.thank you so much PNUH Family👏👏👏👏👏