Patients Rush to Gyeonggi Province
(Published October 11, 2011)

Kazakhstan designates three hospitals in Gyeonggi Province to treat Kazakh patients

Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Sejong General Hospital make a large-scale foray into the medical business

– Gyeonggi Province announced the selection of Seoul National University’s Bundang Hospital, Saint Vincent’s Hospital of the Catholic University of Korea, and Sejong General Hospital to treat patients from Kazakhstan. Ryu Yeong-cheol, the director of welfare policies for the provincial government, explains the major results at a briefing. (GNews Plus)

The medical industry of Gyeonggi Province is set to make a foray into the CIS region, which is emerging as a new market for the world medical industry. On October 11, Gyeonggi Province announced that Seoul National University’s Bundang Hospital, Saint Vincent’s Hospital of the Catholic University of Korea, and Sejong General Hospital had been selected to treat patients from Kazakhstan.

The three hospitals will treat seriously ill patients from Kazakhstan under the Salamatty Kazakhstan Program implemented by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health. The program will mainly cover seriously ill patients suffering from cancer, heart disease and orthopedic diseases, costing about KRW 120 billion per year on average. The provincial government expects that these hospitals will accept not only patients who will come to Korea through the program but also other Kazakhstani patients.

“Kazakhstani authorities proposed a cooperation agreement, the main points of which include support for medical staff training and the establishment of an international academic exchange, during my visit to Kazakhstan,” said Ryu Yeong-cheol, director of welfare policies for the provincial government. “If exchanges and cooperation are promoted, we will achieve many positive results in the pharmaceutical and tourism sectors.”

Earlier, Gyeonggi Province dispatched its international medical delegation to Kazakhstan from September 30 to October 5 and set up the International Medical Center in Almaty.

In addition, in September, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Health and Vice Minister of Health visited Gyeonggi Province and examined some exceptional medical organizations.

According to the provincial government, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Health expressed his satisfaction with the advanced medical technology, facilities and equipment and praised them for their excellence compared to major medical institutions in Germany and Israel. Last year, Gyeonggi Province attracted 10,913 patients from overseas, of whom 1,212 were seriously ill patients.

Gyeonggi Province is planning to open the GMBC at the Havarosk Medical Education Center and the state-run hospital, and to sign MOUs on the exchange of medical human resources with the Astana National Medical College and NHN.

In addition, the province will offer a training program for 20 medical staff in the minimally invasive surgery sector in November, and will begin building the Sejong-Eurasia Cardiovascular Hospital in the first half of next year.

“We will operate a customized medical tourism call center in partnership with the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization to help the families of patients spend their spare time in Korea, and will help hospitals move into the CIS region, including Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan,” Director Ryu said.

–GNews Plus | Lim Jeong-seon isim123@hanmail.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201110112047157904C052&s_code=C052