How to Find a Korean GP in Queenstown (Doctor Appointments, Reviews)

If you're moving to Queenstown, there's one question you're probably dying to know: is there a Korean GP in Queenstown? I have a pre-existing condition, so I've been doing a lot of research on this. I'll tell you the story, how to find one, make an appointment, and even give you some reviews.


Queenstown Korean GP Hospital

Unfortunately, there is no Korean GP clinic in Queenstown. I did a search on this from when I was in Auckland and found that someone had asked the same question on Korea Post in 2016, but it was never answered.

Queenstown has 10,000 people living in the city, of which about 200 are Korean. It made sense to me that there was no Korean GP clinic in Queenstown.

Still, with a glimmer of hope, I looked for a Facebook group in Queenstown to see if there was a Korean community there. And there was.


There was a Facebook group called Korean Association of Queenstown. I think there are about 50 people on it now. Anyway, I bravely sent a message to the group moderator. I asked if there was a Korean GP in Queenstown.

I was told that there are no Korean GPs in Queenstown. He seemed to be a longtime resident, so I took him at his word.

She also pointed me to a KakaoTalk group chat room where Koreans can share Queenstown information. It's called Hi Queenstown, New Zealand, and if you're new to Queenstown, we hope you'll join us and get all the questions and information you've been wondering about.


1) Queenstown Korean Community

  • Korean Association of Queenstown (Facebook Group)
  • Hi Queenstown, New Zealand (KakaoTalk group chat room)

Then I realized that there were no Korean GPs in Queenstown, and that you wouldn't go to the doctor if you were sick, but you need a GP anyway, so I set out to find one.

What a New Zealand hospital or pharmacy is like If you're curious, my previous post might help you understand this better.

Speaking of differences from Korea, I remember the first time I visited a hospital in New Zealand, I was shocked at how different it was from Korea.



Queenstown Hospital (Medical clinic)

1) How to find a hospital in Queenstown

The friendly operator told me that most of the GPs here in Queenstown are friendly, so I decided to find a place with easy transportation.

Search for medical clinic in googlemapI came up with quite a few different locations, as shown below, one of which is in the Frankton Hub area near Queenstown Airport.

Queenstown Korean GP Non-Hospital General Hospital

I chose Laptest because it was close to where I live, and most importantly, there was a Laptest lab right in front of the hospital, so I could take the test right away if I needed to, which gave me extra points for convenience.



2) How to make an appointment at Queenstown Hospital

The Doctors Whakatipu - Frankton Hospital homepage front page

The hospital I chose was The Doctors Whakatipu - FranktonAnswer. In New Zealand, once I want to see a doctor, I have to make an appointment by phone or online, and in order to make that appointment, I have to register my information with the hospital.

[Queenstown Hospital appointment order].

  • First: Enroll with US
  • Second: Our Team (see which doctors are available)
  • Third: Book appointment


I needed a Queenstown GP, so I had to register here, and there's a question in the middle that asks if I agree to have all my information imported from my Auckland GP, which I did for continuity of care.

After I registered, I couldn't get an appointment right away. You'll have to wait up to two days for the hospital to approve you, and once they do, you'll get an email from me, and you can choose a date, doctor, and time to schedule an appointment.

However, since we're new, we don't know which doctors we have, so we've introduced something called Our Team on the left side menu of the homepage, where you can see the doctor's picture, name, and introduction, so you can refer to it when choosing a GP.

3) Queenstown Hospital Reviews

If there is no Korean GP clinic in Queenstown, I don't think you need to worry too much, because I was really worried. I don't speak English very well, and I was thinking to myself, will I be able to communicate or will they be too stiff?

You go in, you tell them you have an appointment, and you sit in the lobby until the doctor comes in. I wasn't sick at the time, so I pre-paid for the consultation, I think it was about $65.

After a while, the GP comes out and goes to the office with me, and you say why you're here, blah, blah, blah. I think the GP that I chose was okay, and I asked a lot of questions about what I should do, what I should do in the future, because I need to see them regularly, and they were really good about answering them.

Finalize

In conclusion, there are no Korean GPs in Queenstown, but hospitals are where you go when you're sick, so if you're moving to Queenstown, it's probably a good idea to register with your own GP, especially if you have a medical condition like I do.

Note that the There are no specialists in Queenstown, so if it's a big illness, they are sent to Invercargill or Dunedin, other cities near Queenstown.

As I found out when registering for hospitals, it takes a while to register, and it takes a while to get approved, so I recommend registering hospitals and GPs that you know you'll be going to in advance. Because we don't know what's going to happen in the future.

As a reminder, if you're visiting New Zealand and you're injured in an accident (as opposed to an illness), you may be eligible for free treatment through a New Zealand program called ACC. If you're worried about the cost, you can ask at the hospital if ACC applies to you.

And I'll end this post with a small hope that in April 2024, Queenstown will have a Korean-American GP, even though it doesn't currently have one.

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