The number of foreign patients seeking treatment in domestic hospitals has risen sharply this year.

The Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Ministry said Sunday that one-thousand-61 foreign patients were treated at Korean hospitals last month, up 41 percent from the same month last year.

The sharp rise comes after the revision last month of medical laws that allowed Korean medical facilities to individually attract foreign patients.

The ministry said the government is likely to meet its target of attracting 50-thousand foreign patients this year, citing the rise in the number of medical facilities seeking foreign patients.

As of April, most foreign patients came from the United States followed by those from China, Japan, Canada and Russia.

Around three-hundred medical facilities and agencies have registered with the ministry to attract foreign patients.