Raphael Clinic

Raphael Clinic’s dedication to alleviate the poor medical treatment environment for foreign workers within Korea began in April 1997 with core support from the Catholic Professor Association and CaSA (Catholic Student Association) of Seoul National University College of Medicine.
Raphael Clinic opens a free clinic for foreign workers every Sunday and treats an average of over 300 patients each time.
Furthermore, Raphael Clinic also operates a Mobile Clinic which travels to regional provinces in order to reach out to foreign workers, multicultural families and North Korean refugees located in those regions.

Raphael Clinic and Cardinal Kim, Sou Hwan

In 1996, the late Cardinal Kim, Sou Hwan received a letter from two Pakistani workers, Amir Zamir and Mohammad Aziz, who had been falsely charged for murder and given the death sentence. Cardinal Kim did not dismiss their aggrieved cry for justice, and urged the Catholic Human Rights Committee to investigate the matter closely. This trigger opened the cardinal’s eyes to the severe human rights violations faced by foreign workers, and as he continued to provide support for the accused men to be pardoned, he also kept a special place in his heart for Raphael Clinic which worked to take care of the health of foreign workers within our country.

When Professor Ahn, Curie (current CEO of Raphael Clinic) suggested the establishment of a free clinic for foreign workers, cardinal Cardinal Kim, Sou Hwan supported the cause with great passion and joy. When the portable clinic at Baekdong Hall of Hyehwa-dong Catholic Church started facing difficulties because of the ever growing patient population, cardinal Kim helped to continue the medical service by opening up Sungshin Hall of Catholic University. Furthermore, the cardinal frequently visited the clinic to hear the stories of the foreign workers, and he showed his exceptional adoration towards Raphael Clinic, for example, by hosting and mingling together at a patient concert.
The commemoratory mass for Raphael Clinic’s 10th anniversary (May 13, 2007) was cardinal Kim, Sou Hwan’s last mass, and after he passed away (February 16, 2009), the final remains of his bank account, KRW 3,400,000, was automatically transferred to Raphael Clinic.

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[Sermon extracted from Raphael Clinic’s 10th anniversary commemoratory mass]

“During the past 10 years, countless numbers of patients were treated, helped and sometimes even saved from the verge of death through Raphael Clinic. One could say that they had been respected as humans for the very first time in a world that had abandoned them in discrimination and disregard. […] God is with all those who have been part of the sharing of love at Raphael Clinic. He is present within those who provide treatment, and He is also joyfully present within those who receive treatment.”