Tag: tuberculosis screening korea

  • Ansan Free Clinic: Hours, Treatments, and Who Pays Nothing

    Ansan Free Clinic: Hours, Treatments, and Who Pays Nothing

    Many people walk into the Wongok clinic expecting a general doctor and find the door to that room closed. General medicine at the clinic is suspended. What is open is Korean medicine every weekday, a dental room twice a month by appointment, and a long list of health checks and certificates that cost nothing.

    The clinic is a branch of the Ansan Danwon Public Health Center, and it sits on the third floor of the same building as the city’s support headquarters for foreign residents. Foreign workers are treated free of charge. This guide covers what is actually available, what to bring, and when to go.

    What this guide covers
    01 What the clinic actually treats
    02 Who pays nothing
    03 What to bring
    04 What else you can get there
    05 When it is open
    06 How to get there
    07 What to say at the counter
    08 Frequently asked questions

    What the clinic actually treats

    Services verified September 2026 · Ansan Danwon Public Health Center, Wongok branch

    The branch is small. Its floor holds consulting rooms for general and Korean medicine, an office and a store room, in 75.86 square meters. Three treatment rooms are listed, and only two of them are running. The health center describes the branch as serving Korean and foreign residents alike, with primary care and health management as its two jobs.

    Treatment at the Wongok branch
    For Korean and foreign residents alike · 원곡보건지소
    Room When What it covers
    General medicine (일반진료) Suspended High blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain, indigestion
    Korean medicine (한방진료) Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 Acupuncture, herbal prescriptions, health consultations
    Dental (치과진료) Twice a month, the second and fourth Tuesday. By appointment Oral examination, fluoride application, scaling

    Korean medicine is the room that is open every day, so it carries most of the clinic’s work. For the dental room, book by phone or in person on 031-481-6833 or 031-481-6834. The other services do not need a booking.

    Who pays nothing

    Fees verified September 2026 · Ansan Danwon Public Health Center

    The health center publishes one short fee rule, and it splits people three ways.

    The fee rule
    ✓ Foreign workers pay nothing.
    ✓ Korean nationals aged 65 and over pay nothing.
    ✓ Korean nationals under 65 pay the rate set by the city’s public health center fee ordinance.

    Nothing in that rule mentions health insurance. The clinic is a city health facility rather than a hospital billing the national scheme, which is why the question it asks at the desk is who you are rather than what insurance you hold.

    What to bring

    One document covers almost everything. The health center asks for identification, and it names three that work.

    Identification the clinic accepts
    ✓ Resident registration card (주민등록증)
    ✓ Alien registration card (외국인등록증)
    ✓ Passport (여권)

    Pregnancy registration asks for one extra paper: a pregnancy confirmation letter (임신확인서) or a maternity record book (산모수첩) showing the due date. Everything else on the list below runs on identification alone.

    What else you can get there

    The treatment rooms are only part of it. The larger part is screening, supplements and paperwork, and this is where most foreign residents will find what they came for.

    Health support and certificates
    Weekdays 09:00 to 18:00 unless a different time is listed
    Service When Details
    Pregnancy registration Weekdays Registration plus folic acid and iron supplements
    Tuberculosis screening Thursday morning, in the last week of the month Chest X-ray, with referral if something is found
    Early dementia screening Weekdays Age 60 and over, for Korean nationals and registered foreign residents
    Stop-smoking clinic Weekdays Enrollment and nicotine replacement products
    Fluoride rinse Weekdays Handed out to prevent decay and sensitivity
    Vaccination certificate Weekdays Issued on request
    Health certificate, reissue Weekdays Reissue of the health examination result (건강진단결과서, formerly 보건증)

    Two rows on that table matter more than the rest for people working in Ansan. The chest X-ray is the screening that turns up in employment paperwork, and the health examination result is the document food and service workers are asked for. The table calls that service a reissue, so read the wording before you travel for it.

    Related guide
    Health Certificate in Korea: Who Needs One and How to Get It
    The law sets three tests, a one-year term, and a 30-day renewal window. It also names who has to take the test at all.

    The health center also runs group programs for Korean and foreign residents together, covering exercise classes, addiction prevention and long-term illness management. Each program runs on its own calendar and is announced when places open.

    When it is open

    Weekdays only, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00, with a lunch break from 12:00 to 13:00. There is no weekend opening.

    Korean medicine is the one room open every weekday, so if you are traveling for treatment rather than for a certificate, plan around that room. The dental room and the tuberculosis screening each run on their own dates, and both of those dates fall on a single day of the week.

    Two timings to plan around
    The desk closes for an hour at noon, and tuberculosis screening runs on one morning a month. The health center notes that the screening schedule can change, so treat the date as movable rather than fixed.

    How to get there

    The clinic is on the third floor of the Ansan Foreign Resident’s Support Headquarters at Bubu-ro 43 in Danwon-gu (단원구 부부로 43). The counseling center, the media room and the Korean classrooms are in the same building.

    · Bus. Get off at Wongok-dong Community Service Center and walk 400 meters, about five minutes. Get off at Ansan Station and walk 660 meters, about ten minutes.
    · Subway. Line 4 to Ansan Station, exit 1, then 760 meters on foot, about fifteen minutes.
    · Phone. 031-481-6833 or 031-481-6834.

    If you would rather explain your problem in your own language before you go, the city helpline works from the ground floor of the same building.

    Related guide
    Ansan Multilingual Helpline: 14 Languages and Sunday Hours
    Medical support is on the helpline’s list of subjects, and its interpreters cover 14 languages.

    The building is a five-minute walk from the multicultural district around Wongok-dong, so a visit can be combined with anything else you need in that area.

    What to say at the counter

    The clinic is a city health office, not the multilingual counseling center downstairs, so an interpreter is not part of the service. These five lines cover the reasons most people come. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.

    한방진료 받으러 왔습니다.
    Han-bang-jil-lyo ba-deu-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here for Korean medicine.”
    Say this first. This is the room open every weekday.
    치과 예약하고 싶습니다.
    Chi-gwa ye-ya-ka-go sip-seum-ni-da.
    “I would like to book a dental appointment.”
    The dental room runs by appointment, so ask before you travel.
    결핵검진 받을 수 있나요?
    Gyeol-haek-geom-jin ba-deul su in-na-yo?
    “Can I have the tuberculosis screening?”
    Screening runs on one morning, in the last week of the month.
    보건증 발급받고 싶어서 왔습니다.
    Bo-geon-jeung bal-geup-bat-go si-peo-seo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here to get a health certificate.”
    Say this if a job in food service has asked you for one.
    보건증 재발급 받으러 왔습니다.
    Bo-geon-jeung jae-bal-geup ba-deu-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here to get my health certificate reissued.”
    Use this if you already took the test and need the paper again.

    The last two lines are for the same document. The clinic’s own service list writes it as the health examination result (건강진단 결과서), then adds the older name people still use at the counter, the health certificate (구 보건증). Say 보건증 and the staff will know what you mean. Under Article 40 of the Food Sanitation Act, business operators and their employees must hold one, and an operator may not put an employee to work without it. Public health centers are one of the places the rule names for the test.

    Frequently asked questions

    How much does a medical checkup cost for foreigners in Korea?
    It depends on where you go. At the Wongok branch in Ansan, foreign workers are treated free of charge, and the screening services carry no fee either. A private hospital charges its own rates, and a national health screening is a separate scheme with its own rules.
    Where can foreigners get a health checkup in Korea?
    A public health center (보건소) is usually the cheapest route, and larger cities run branches aimed at foreign residents. In Ansan that branch is at Bubu-ro 43 in Danwon-gu, and it offers chest X-ray screening and certificate reissue on weekdays.
    Are there walk-in clinics in Korea?
    At this clinic, Korean medicine and the health support services take you without an appointment during opening hours. The dental room is the exception and runs by appointment on two Tuesdays a month.
    Does South Korea have free public healthcare?
    No. Korea runs a national health insurance scheme that most residents pay into, and patients still pay a share of each bill. City health centers like this one are a separate, smaller service, and the free treatment described here is a city program rather than national healthcare.
    Do I need health insurance to be treated here?
    The published fee rule does not mention insurance. It sets the price by who you are: foreign workers and Korean nationals aged 65 and over are treated free, and Korean nationals under 65 pay the city ordinance rate. Bring identification.
    Ansan guides
    Korean Classes in Ansan: 14 KIIP Centers, Cost, and Levels
    Government Korean classes at 14 centers across the city, with addresses, cost, and how the stages work.
    Ansan Multilingual Helpline: 14 Languages and Sunday Hours
    Fourteen languages on one city number, and which national line to use outside its listed hours.
    Ansan Free Clinic: Hours, Treatments, and Who Pays Nothing
    Korean medicine every weekday, dental twice a month, and no fee for foreign workers.

    Official sources

    Every figure in this guide comes from the pages below. Clinic schedules change, so open the page before you travel.

    · Ansan Danwon Public Health Center, Wongok branch · about the branch · services and fees · directions
    · Ansan City, Foreign Resident’s Support Headquarters · clinic page, Korean · building floor plan
    · Ansan Sangnoksu Public Health Center · treatment for foreign residents
    Information verified as of September 2026. Services and opening hours change often. Confirm the details with the official source before you travel, or call the clinic on 031-481-6833.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.