Seoul (The Korea Herald/ANN) - Six out of
100 people here visit Oriental medical doctors, a Ministry of Health and
Welfare survey found Thursday.
Expensive treatment prices and lingering
doubts about the safety of medicines are hindering 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 clinics or hospitals.
The majority of the users were 60 or older,
showing that younger people are turning their back on the traditional practice.
The most-treated parts 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 have received acupuncture, medication and
moxibustion at the clinics.
About 81.9 percent said they are 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, one would easily have to
spend more than 1 million won ($850.) The soaring medication and treatment fees
also prevented people from visiting the clinic regularly.
Doubt over the safety of the medicines is also
haunting the industry. The health ministry has recently announced a set of
guidelines to monitor and manage individual ingredients of the medicine 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 dampen rumors
about Oriental medicine, bridging younger generation with the traditional
treatments and providing more scientific aspect of our practices. We are hoping
Oriental medical clinics would be first visited for ailments such as cold or
stomachache."
Bae Ji-sook | Asia News Network
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