Exports of Telemedicine
According to the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Peru, Brazil and Chile are looking to import telemedicine technology from South Korea.
In Brazil, a project for the development of a smart medical ship is underway so that people living in and around the Amazon can benefit from it. To this end, the South Korean government signed an MOU with Universidade de Taubaté last year and is currently selecting South Korean organizations to take part in the project. After the screening process is completed, the consortium works on IT platforms for patient data sharing, IT systems for connection between hospitals and the ship, telemedicine solutions for connection between medical staff and patients, etc. In the meantime, the Hanyang University Hospital is working together with Instituto do Coração da Universidade de São Paulo in order to develop telemedicine systems suitable for Brazil.
In Peru, the Gachon University Gil Medical Center and the Cayetano Heredia National Hospital are planning to launch maternity and child health care programs utilizing telemedicine technology. The purpose of the programs is to remotely connect local hospitals with the Cayetano Heredia National Hospital in Lima and provide medical services for pregnant women by using ultrasonic diagnostic equipment developed by South Korean venture firms. The Gachon University Gil Medical Center is currently going after Official Development Aid (ODA) funds for the project.
The Ministry of Health of Chile recently signed a cooperation agreement for the monitoring of home patients with Korea Medical Holdings and applied for participation in the Knowledge Sharing Program of the Ministry of Strategy & Finance of South Korea. Once accepted, the Chilean ministry can accelerate the introduction of telemedicine based on South Korea’s policy consulting with regard to information and communications technology.