Samsung is one of the most technologically advanced medical centres in the world. The opening of this clinic in 1994 was the realisation of a unique ‘patient-centric’ concept.
During 20 years of practice, the whole world has become aware of Samsung Medical Centre in Korea. It has been ranked first in the National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) 14 times, the leader in the Korean Customer Satisfaction Index (KCSI) 16 times, the honoured first place in the Service Quality Index (KS-SQI) 12 times in a row, and has been selected as Korea’s top medical brand 12 times.
Today, Samsung is not just a multidisciplinary clinic, but a stronghold of medicine of the future and a global research centre. Samsung Medical Clinic has technologies and equipment that have surpassed what is considered innovation in the world’s best medical centres. In addition, in 2020, the hospital announced Vision 2030: Samsung Medical Centre as the frontier of medicine of the future and is making progress to become the world’s leading hospital.
Numerous positive reviews of Samsung Medical Centre (Seoul, Korea) are further proof of the clinic’s high level. Patients from 167 countries thank the doctors for the high-quality medical care, note the careful attitude and diligence of the nursing staff, as well as excellent living conditions in the clinic.
Samsung Medical Centre Clinic has received many awards and certifications in 2023, attesting to its high level of medical services and quality of patient care. Here are some of them:
Samsung offers the latest diagnostic and treatment methods, with an emphasis on a highly accurate, personalised approach to each patient. Among the centre’s cutting-edge technologies:
The centre is also equipped with a smart ambulance system, a helicopter for emergency transport and automated systems to support diagnostic and logistical processes.
An undeniable advantage of Samsung Clinic Korea is its cooperation and active exchange of experience with the best medical centres in the world. For example, joint imaging centres for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases have been established with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (USA). A 32-channel spiral MRI scanner was procured by one such centre for the first time in Asia.
In addition to the Mayo Clinic, Samsung cooperates with such medical giants as Johns Hopkins Medical Center (USA), Anderson Cancer Centre (USA), Cedars Sinai Hospital (USA), as well as clinics and medical centres in Argentina, China, Japan, Egypt and Vietnam.
Samsung Medical Centre consists of the main building, an annex and the Oncology Clinic. In addition, the Proton Centre was commissioned in 2014, and construction of the Ilwon Building and the Outpatient Treatment Centre was completed in 2019. The main building of the clinic has 200 thousand m2 of space, 20 above-ground floors and 5 underground floors. The clinic structure includes 40 departments, 10 specialised centres, 120 specialised clinics and 2,000 beds. Samsung Cancer Centre is located in a 19-storey building (11 above-ground and 8 underground), with an area of over 100,000 m2. There are 655 beds available at the Cancer Centre.
Samsung Clinic is a new generation fully automated medical centre, which has switched to paperless operation. The clinic has installed the world’s largest PACS (file transfer and archiving system) and EMR (electronic medical records) software.
Samsung Medical Centre strives to provide everything necessary to ensure that patients and visitors do not need anything while in the clinic. There are a variety of facilities and services that create maximum comfort and convenience:
Samsung is a world leader in the fields of medicine:
Samsung Medical Centre has one of the highest survival rates for patients with cancer in the world. For example, the 5-year survival rate for gastric cancer in Samsung Clinic reaches 88,2%, which is much higher than in the USA, where this indicator is only 35,7%. The situation is similar for lung cancer, with the rate at Samsung reaching 54,1%, compared to 25,4% in the United States.
The hospital also has the highest survival rates for premature babies in the world (above 50% for severely premature babies). The Department of Paediatrics and Infant Care at Samsung Hospital managed to deliver a premature baby who appeared at 25 weeks of pregnancy weighing only 380 grams.
Samsung Clinic in South Korea is a ‘Presidential Standard Hospital’. It is the first in the country to update medical equipment. Everything here is thoughtfully designed and created for the needs of patients.
Samsung Seoul Hospital has both single and double rooms, as well as suites. All wards are equipped with a private bathroom, toilet, refrigerator, TV, modern furniture, and in particular a functional bed. Free Wi-Fi and a call button for medical staff are provided.
At Samsung, patients from foreign countries are assigned coordinators who provide 24/7 support. If necessary, foreigners can order airport transfers and interpreter services.
For the fastest and most comfortable treatment of this category of patients, Samsung Medical Centre has an International Centre, which was established in 1995. The Centre provides medical care coordination and primary medical care, including both adult and paediatric therapy, preventive examinations and emergency care.
Since the Centre’s establishment, hundreds of thousands of patients from all over the world have received professional help at the Centre. The Centre employs qualified doctors and nursing staff who speak fluent English, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Mongolian and Chinese. The team of specialists includes doctors in internal medicine, rheumatology, paediatrics, neurology, general surgery, family medicine, pulmonology, orthopaedic surgery, gastroenterology, cardiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, etc.
Since 30 October 2023, the International Health Centre has been operating on the 5th floor of the SMC Proton Therapy Centre.
The Oncology Clinic at Samsung Medical Centre is the largest in Asia. It provides comprehensive all-around medical care for all types of cancer (from prevention and screening to treatment and rehabilitation).
After purchasing proton therapy equipment, Samsung Hospital (Seoul) has provided a full range of all possible cancer therapies: chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. The Samsung Research Centre is also exploring gene therapy, new immune therapies, and bone marrow transplantation. For early diagnosis, the clinic has a PET-CT machine.
The structure of the medical centre includes specialised centres for each of the common types of cancer. The colorectal cancer centre of the Samsung Oncology Clinic is ranked No. 1 in the rating of treatment efficiency evaluation by the Agency for Health Insurance Control and Evaluation.
The Oncology Clinic also leads in the treatment of haemato-oncological diseases and bone marrow transplantation. One of the clinic’s developments is a new assessment scale that can predict changes in patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Statistics from Samsung Specialised Cancer Centres:
The 5-year survival rate for various cancers at Samsung Clinic is:
| Diagnosis | Survival rate at Samsung | Survival rate in the US |
| Stomach cancer | 88,2% | 35,7% |
| Colorectal cancer | 84,0% | 65,0% |
| Lung cancer | 54,1% | 25,4% |
| Breast cancer | 95,6% | 90,6% |
| Liver cancer | 57,6% | 21,6% |
| Prostate cancer | 99,6% | 97,1% |
| Pancreatic cancer | 19,4% | 12,5% |
| Cervical cancer | 84,7% | 67,2% |
| Brain and CNS cancer | 43,7% | 33,8% |
| Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | 73,0% | 74,3% |
The Samsung Oncology Centre is equipped with the latest technology. It has all the facilities to treat patients:
Samsung’s Brain Tumour Treatment Unit has become a leader in terms of the number of interventions. For example, more than 6,000 procedures have been performed here using the Gamma Knife system for non-invasive tumour removal. State-of-the-art diagnostic technologies such as perfusion and functional MRI, PET and PET-CT are available at the centre. To improve the accuracy and safety of operations, fluorescent staining of brain tumours, intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, neuroendoscopic equipment, etc. are used. Advanced radiotherapy techniques such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and other units are also available.
The Breast Cancer Centre treats recurrent, metastatic and irreversible breast cancer, hereditary cancer, cancer in young women as well as cancer in pregnant women and men. The centre’s arsenal includes the latest treatments such as oncoplastic surgery, personalised treatment using genome analysis, and targeted and immune therapies. Clinical trials to study the efficacy of new approaches in the treatment of breast cancer are also actively underway. Research related to hormone therapy and modern chemotherapeutic agents is underway.
The Colorectal Cancer Centre diagnoses and treats various forms of malignant tumours of the colon and rectum, anal cancer, recurrent and metastatic tumours, and hereditary forms of cancer. More than 1,600 operations are performed here every year using modern technologies – minimally invasive methods and robotic surgery. All procedures are performed following international protocols.
Samsung Medical Centre has been actively using robotic surgery, reaching an impressive milestone of 20,000 surgeries. Surgeons have accumulated extensive experience, increasing the number of robotic interventions each year. In 2023, Samsung is ranked 9th in the world in terms of their number. The centre has installed 8 robotic surgeons, and with the introduction of a new single-port robot, the plan is to further improve the accuracy of operations and access to hard-to-reach areas.
The CAR-T Cell Therapy Centre at Samsung Medical Center was the first in South Korea to introduce the innovative method for treating patients with refractory B-cell lymphoma and other cancers. To date, the centre has successfully performed 175 procedures, demonstrating the high rate of development and demand for this technology. The head of the centre, Professor Won Seok Kim, says that their goal is to provide patients with the best treatment options and high-quality care by expanding access to the latest methods of combating haemato-oncological diseases.
CAR-T cell therapy is an advanced immunotherapy method in which a patient’s T cells are modified to fight cancer cells. The therapy has shown high efficacy in the treatment of several types of haemato-oncological diseases such as B-cell lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and multiple myeloma. The effectiveness of CAR-T therapy has been proven by many studies.
Samsung Clinic performs lung and heart transplants, kidney and liver transplants, small intestine transplants, heart valve transplants, bone transplants, skin transplants, corneal transplants, and more. Transplants from living donors are performed here using laparoscopic surgery, which significantly reduces operation time, pain and risk of complications compared to the open method. Samsung is the only hospital in Korea that performs all liver transplants from living donors using the laparoscopic method.
The centre boasts a high success rate for kidney transplants with incompatible blood groups. Korea’s first kidney transplantation without the use of immunosuppressant drugs was performed here. This approach can significantly improve the quality of life of patients after surgery.
Patients are offered a full range of services at all stages of organ transplantation:
The field of cardiology and cardiac surgery is one of the main focus areas at Samsung Medical Centre. In 2014, the Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Institute was established at the clinic, which is known for its expertise and high results not only in Korea but also in the Asia-Pacific region. A multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment as well as rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular diseases is organised here.
As of 2023, the institute has achieved the highest results in performing surgeries using Heartmate 3 left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). In addition, cardiac surgeons have performed more than 156 surgeries for artificial heart implantation with a success rate of 99%. Korea’s first 3rd generation artificial heart transplant surgery was also performed here, and more than 100 such surgeries will be performed by 2023. Artificial heart implantation is a life-saving procedure to maintain blood circulation in patients with terminal heart failure until the donor organ is transplanted.
The Institute actively uses innovative technologies such as percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) and transapical aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Various examinations to detect vascular diseases are carried out here, and the latest models of MRI and ultrasound machines are used, which contributes to the early detection of pathologies and effective treatment.
The Samsung Clinic performs cardiac surgery on newborns and infants. For example, in 2021, Korea’s first operation to close the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in an infant with an extremely low birth weight of only 1,76kg was performed here, and in 2022, cardiac surgeons saved the life of an infant weighing only 1,1kg.
Treatment methods for cardiac diseases at Samsung Hospital:
Cardiology and cardiac surgery are among the main areas of focus at Samsung Medical Centre. In 2014, the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke was established at the clinic, renowned for its expertise and excellent results not only in Korea but also in the Asia-Pacific region. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular diseases.
Samsung Seoul Hospital is a leader in the ranking of success and efficiency of aortocoronary bypass surgery by the Health Insurance Supervision and Evaluation Agency.
The hospital is the author of many discoveries and developments in the field of cardiovascular disease therapy. For example, Samsung researchers discovered for the first time in the world that the cause of chest pain complaints in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis is due to reduced capillary function resulting from left ventricular hypertrophy. At Samsung Cardio-Cerebrovascular Hospital, balloon angioplasty was successfully performed for the first time in Korea on a patient with chronic thrombotic pulmonary hypertension.
The Samsung Clinic successfully performs microsurgical heart surgeries. These interventions are performed using miniature instruments that are inserted through several small incisions rather than through a large incision (as in classical surgery). After such treatment, there are practically no scars and the rehabilitation period is significantly reduced.
The Samsung Neurosurgery Department is the leader in Korea and the world’s leading centre in terms of success rate, expertise and technology. Samsung Clinic was the first in Asia and the sixth in the world to introduce a new version of the Gamma Knife device, the Icon. Both the new and the previous version of Gamma Knife – Perfexion – are currently available at the medical centre. Samsung is one of only 4 medical centres in the world where 2 units of Gamma Knife are available at once.
Samsung neurosurgeons’ experience in numbers:
Advanced technology at the Samsung Centre:
The Children’s Department at Samsung Hospital is a leading paediatric facility in South Korea that offers a wide range of services for children and adolescents. The department is renowned for its innovative approach to treatment, high level of medical care and care for every young patient.
The department’s specialists have in-depth knowledge and experience in diagnosing and treating a wide variety of paediatric diseases. Newborns, including premature ones, as well as children with congenital malformations, cardiovascular diseases, oncological diseases, respiratory diseases, digestive diseases and other pathologies are treated here.
One of the main priorities of the clinic is the safety of young patients. When treating children, the most modern and safe methods are used, which allow to achieve maximum efficiency of treatment with minimal risk of complications. Doctors carefully select an individual treatment plan for each child, taking into account age, body features and severity of the disease. Special attention is paid to the use of gentle treatment methods that do not harm the growing organism.
Instead of extensive surgeries, low-trauma surgical methods are increasingly used, which allow for a shorter recovery period and lower risk of complications. Many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are performed using endoscopes, which helps minimize trauma and reduce the time spent in hospital.
One of the key areas of work of the department is neonatology. The neonatal department has all the conditions for nursing premature babies and newborns with various pathologies. Highly qualified medical staff, modern equipment and individual approach to each child allow for achieving high results in the treatment of even the most complicated cases.
The department also pays great attention to the psychological support of children and their families. Psychologists help children adapt to hospitalisation, overcome fears and anxieties, and support parents in difficult situations. There is a ‘school in the hospital’ where children can continue their education during prolonged hospitalisation.
The Spine Centre has a team of doctors specialising in orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, pain management, physiotherapy, neurology, radiology, surgical oncology and chemotherapy to provide comprehensive care for patients with various spinal pathologies.
The Centre works in the following areas: spinal deformities, tumours, fractures, infectious and degenerative diseases of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, and chronic pain therapy.
Doctors use a variety of methods to effectively treat spinal conditions – conservative and surgical. When surgery is necessary, doctors prefer to use minimally invasive surgery, which reduces recovery time and pain for patients. In addition to this, personalised physiotherapy and rehabilitation programmes are offered to improve strength, flexibility and range of motion.
The Centre operates 2 clinics:
Samsung Clinic’s Comprehensive Diagnostic Centre is one of the largest and most comfortable in South Korea. More than 63,000 people from different countries come here every year. The centre employs 60 specialists, including gastroenterologists, radiologists, endocrinologists, gynaecologists, cardiologists and pulmonologists. The latest generation equipment is used for diagnostics – 3.0 Tesla MRI, 128-channel CT, hybrid PET-CT and others.
The examination is carried out in a convenient format, which allows you to complete a set of tests within a few hours. If any abnormalities are detected, the patient is referred to the outpatient department for further examination and specialised care.
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Indication | The programme is suitable for men and women who wish to have a comprehensive health assessment. |
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| Duration | 3 hours |
| Indication | The programme is designed for men and women interested in a detailed health assessment, including in-depth examinations and screening for chronic diseases and cancer. |
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| Duration | 4 hours |
| Indication | Suitable for men and women who want an in-depth health check-up, including diagnosis of a wide range of diseases and a comprehensive examination of the major body systems. |
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| Duration | 5 hours |
| Indication | Recommended for men and women seeking advanced cancer screening and general health checks for early detection of cancer. |
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| Duration | 7-8 hours |
| Indication | Designed for men and women interested in comprehensive and in-depth health diagnostics, including cancer, cardiovascular and endocrinological screening. |
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Additional tests can be added to any Check-Up package for a more detailed examination. Among the additional tests available are:
The cost of treatment at Samsung Medical Centre is much lower than in similar clinics in the USA and UK, and comparable to the prices in Turkish clinics. At the same time, the quality of medicine sometimes exceeds clinics in these countries. For treatment of some diseases in Samsung Clinic they use the Da Vinci robotic system. The cost of operations performed with the help of this system is lower than in clinics in Germany and Israel.
| Procedure | Cost |
| Specialist consultation | from $100-120 |
| Check-up for women and men | from $695 |
| MRI | from $1,100 |
| Procedure | Cost |
| Prostatectomy with Da Vinci robot | from $23,000 |
| Nephrectomy with Da Vinci robot | from $20,500 |
| Hysterectomy with Da Vinci robot | from $21,000 |
