Gyeonggi Province Takes Lead in Medical Korean Wave as Post-Corona Era Approaches

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province is stepping up to lead the medical Korean Wave as the post-corona era approaches.

As the status of 'K-quarantine' has been elevated through the COVID-19 response, the province plans to promote diverse international medical business initiatives including attracting foreign patients and international medical cooperation.

The province announced on the 4th that it has strengthened international medical business content starting this year in consideration of environmental changes caused by COVID-19 and business efficiency.

First, starting this year, 'matters related to foreign patient attraction medical institutions' have been transferred from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to municipal and provincial local governments. The province will proceed with registration of foreign patient attraction institutions and patient recruitment consulting and marketing projects.

To monitor illegal patient recruitment activities, the province emphasized its management and oversight role by operating a reporting reward system.

For overseas expansion of medical industry companies within the province, one-on-one matching export consultations with overseas buyers will continue. The province is in consultation with various countries including Vietnam (May), the Middle East (June), and Uzbekistan and Indonesia (second half of the year).

In particular, starting this year, the province plans to support the production of online promotional materials in 3D video format.

As cooperative projects, the province plans to promote Korea-Russia International Medical Academic Conference (May-June), online working-level consultation meetings among local governments (first half), and signing of health and medical cooperation MOUs with overseas local governments (within the year).

Considering business efficiency and organic flow, the province consolidated overseas local government cooperation, overseas medical professional training, and online promotion projects into one international medical activation project.

With the coronavirus situation, medical academic conferences and medical agency consultation meetings have been regularized as online projects.

In addition, the province will continue humanitarian overseas medical support, including provision of overseas medical supplies and invitation of foreign patients for free surgeries.

Choi Young-sung, director of the Gyeonggi Province Health and Medical Affairs Division, stated, "Based on Korea's elevated status changed by COVID-19, we will actively respond to business environment changes in the post-corona era in the health and medical fields," adding "We will continue to develop new models for international health and medical cooperation projects and make efforts to ensure that Gyeonggi Province takes the lead in overseas expansion of the medical industry."

Meanwhile, the province held the '2021 International Medical Business Activation Consultation Meeting Among Related Organizations' on the 1st in an online video conference format.

Project managers from medical institutions, basic local governments, and medical associations attended the consultation meeting.

Participants shared introductions of this year's international medical business plans, requests from related organizations, and exchanged opinions and discussed international medical business initiatives.