From August, Animal Hospitals Must Post 'Treatment Fees' Inside the Facility

Amendment to the Enforcement Rule of the Veterinary License Act
Additional Posting Required for Hospitals with Websites

Starting in August this year, major veterinary treatment fees will be required to be posted inside animal hospitals. This measure takes into account that elderly people and others who have difficulty using the internet or smartphones may find it hard to check treatment fees.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on June 30 that it has revised the 'Enforcement Rule of the Veterinary License Act' to include these changes.

An official from the Ministry explained, "Until now, animal hospitals could choose to post 20 major treatment fees, such as initial and follow-up consultations, hospitalization, and vaccinations, either inside the hospital or on their internet homepage (for hospitals that operate a homepage). However, when fees are posted only on the homepage, elderly people and others who have difficulty using the internet or smartphones may be unable to check the fees. Therefore, we are improving the way treatment fees are posted at animal hospitals."

To enhance transparency, the Ministry has decided that, in principle, veterinary treatment fees must be posted inside animal hospitals starting in August. Additionally, animal hospitals that operate a website will be required to post the fees on their website as well. However, considering the need for animal healthcare providers to prepare for this change, a grace period will be granted until October this year.

Park Junghoon, Director of Animal Welfare and Environment Policy at the Ministry, stated, "With this system improvement, pet owners will be able to check treatment fees more conveniently, which is expected to ensure their right to choose and right to know in a more practical way. In line with the launch of the new government, we will continue to improve policies to protect the rights and interests of pet owners."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.