Korean Hospital Chosen for Medical Checkup despite MERS Scare

Russian civil servant Igor Shustrov receives medical examination at Sejong General Hospital

Despite the fall in the number of foreigners and tourists who are visiting Korea amidst the outbreak of MERS, one foreigner has visited a Korean hospital for his medical checkup. Igor Shustrov (55) is a high-level public officer in Komsomolsk, Russia, in charge of city planning. He visited Korea for the first time on June 15. Many voiced concerns on his trip to Korea as the MERS outbreak in Korea had also been widely reported by the Russian media and the number of international patients in Korea was in a sharp decline. Shustrov, too, was aware of the outbreak of MERS. But the trust he had on Korea and Sejong General Hospital led him to Korea, despite the ongoing news reports on MERS from the Russian Media. Sejong General Hospital (Chairman: Jin-sik Park) was famous for its heart surgery and systematic medical examinations in Russia when a friend strongly recommended the hospital, Shustrov made his decision to take the risk. When Shustrov arrived in Korea, he confesses that he was surprised at the difference in the image and the reality in Korea; the Korea he saw through news reports and the real Korea was significantly different. He realized that although the people near hospitals wore masks and looked very concerned with MERS, Koreans in parks and amusement parks seemed joyful and carefree. Shustrov says that he had trust in Sejong General Hospital which has been designated as a MERS-safe hospital. And he found that the Hospital did not betray his trust. Sejong General Hospital took the temperatures of every visitor and was thorough in its use of hand sanitizers to prevent infections. After visiting the hospital, Shustrov said that his trust mounted. “I know that there were trials and errors on countering MERS in Korea and that many Koreans are worried about its outcome. But with thorough inspections and measures for prevention, I believe the spread of MERS may subside.” said Shustrov.