Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Berdybek Saparbayev met with a delegation from the Republic of Korea on March 26 to sign memorandums and discuss ongoing cooperation efforts.
The delegation included the heads of Gangnam Severance, the Health Industry Development Institute and the International Health Centre, all leading clinics in the country. Kazakhstan was represented by heads of the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development, the Ministry of Education and Science and Al-Farabi Kazakhstan National University.
During the meeting, the parties noted the dynamic nature of cooperation between Kazakhstan and South Korea in healthcare. The memorandums signed between the ministries included one pertaining to the treatment of Kazakh citizens in South Korean clinics on a regular basis, as well as the training of local specialists.
In December 2014, a diagnostic centre was opened on the premises of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with cooperation from Gangnam Severance hospital.
The East Kazakhstan region has the most active interaction with the Gangnam clinic. The region has held master classes with South Korean doctors and counselling sessions with patients fromits most deprived districts. In addition, the specialists have been trained to work in a rehabilitation centre in Ust-Kamenogorsk and expensive diagnostic equipment has been donated for use in the regional hospital. This year, leading doctors from Gangnam hospital are expected to arrive to perform complex pro bono operations.
The meeting also included discussions on prospects of further expanding bilateral cooperation, including those relating to the construction of a medical centre and a number of projects on the modernisation of regional emergency centres.
