Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) said it has embarked on a mentorship to reform Colombia’s healthcare system comprehensively and strengthen its role as a future medical cooperation partner.
The Korean delegation, consisting of officials from SNUBH, NHIS, HIRA, and KHIS, pose for a photo after attending a seminar held by Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Colombia. (credit: SNUBH)
The announcement follows the hospital staff recently visiting Colombia after the Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) invited SNUBH as part of a delegation with Korean healthcare institutions, such as the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), and the Korea Health Information Service (KHIS).
The delegation visited Colombia from March 17-22 and attended an international seminar to introduce and advise on Korea's advanced healthcare system and medical technology. The delegation examined Colombia's medical sites and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, focusing on health insurance system reform, public healthcare expansion, and strengthening healthcare ICT.
The Korean team, including the SNUBH staff, shared Korea's advanced medical care examples and know-how in digital healthcare, health insurance system operation, management of health insurance, evaluation systems, and Drug Utilization Review (DUR) services.
Notably, SNUBH attracted the attention of officials from the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection by presenting hospital-operating system examples, such as strengthening the medical delivery system based on healthcare ICT, applying new technologies like the metaverse and XR in medicine, conducting educational cooperation activities for strengthening public healthcare, achieving interoperability with external institutions, and conducting advanced technology-based medical education and the cultivation of digitally convergent talents.
Following this visit, SNUBH agreed to initiate cooperative projects to enhance Colombia's digital healthcare and public medical capabilities. Korea’s health agencies also agreed to help reform Colombia’s healthcare system, with the NHIS and HIRA deciding to actively share Korea's experience in operating the health insurance system, and KHIS sharing know-how on establishing standards and applying them to electronic medical record systems.
“Building on our partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), we are actively expanding our various collaborations with Colombia's Ministry of Health and Social Protection to improve the country's healthcare system,” SNUBH Public Affairs Director Kim Tae-woo said. “We look forward to building on the success of this collaborative model and expanding it to other Latin American countries.”
Colombia's Deputy Minister of Social Protection Luis Alberto Martínez also said, “We learned a lot from SNUBH and Korea's well-organized healthcare system and look forward to continuing to learn Korean know-how so that all Colombians can receive quality healthcare.”
Source: https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=23743
