Date: Dec. 1, 2009 

Offered by: Health Policy Division (031-249-4380)

Gyeonggi Province offered another round of free medical check-ups to 3,373 foreign women from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and other countries who settled in the province following marriage with Korean men in 2009. Following the examinations, 970 women were diagnosed with illnesses requiring further medical attention, and among these, the most frequent illness was gastrointestinal disorder.

Of the foreign women with illnesses, 287 were in their twenties, 306 were in their thirties, and 238 were in their forties, meaning that approximately 86% of those with illnesses were in the 20s-40s age range. Among the 1,457 cases of multiple illnesses, the percentage rates were as follows: gastrointestinal disorders 10.8%, urinary disorders 5.9%, hepatitis B 5.6%, and thyroid gland malfunction 5.6%.

Although married, foreign women cannot immediately benefit from medical care services as it is impossible for them to acquire Korean nationality within such a short period of time. Gyeonggi Province is offering basic health check-ups, both to married immigrants who have not yet acquired Korean nationality and to married immigrants who have not subscribed to health insurance. Through this initiative, the provincial government aims to strengthen the ties between family members by helping them to settle in Korea in peace, safety, and good health, and to ultimately promote their attachment to Gyeonggi Province. To ensure convenience for patients during the check-ups, Gyeonggi Province has organized traveling check-up services, during which the check-up team visits local places in large medical check-up vehicles equipped with a Gastrointestinal Series Scanner, mammography equipment, X-ray machines, ultrasonograph, and more according to the check-up schedule. Twenty-one different check-ups are offered to women, including basic vital signs test, blood test, electrocardiogram test, thyroid scan, uterine cancer test, breast cancer test and gastrointestinal scan. According to the results, women with infectious diseases are referred to and supervised by each public health center in charge. Other women with illnesses undergo thorough examinations with the help of specialized medical institutions.

To enhance this program, the number of check-ups will be expanded to 3,500 next year, and after assessing the results, inoculations against preventable infectious diseases will be given.