Cairo- Nessma Youssef
South Korean Ambassador to Egypt Kim Young-hyun discussed during his meeting with Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Resources Development and Minister of Health and Population, ways of bilateral cooperation in the field of healthcare, human resources development, and enhancing Korean investments in the medical field.
The meeting discussed launching a $9 million project to enhance emergency medical services in Upper Egypt, particularly in the Nag Hammadi and Luxor areas.
This initiative comes as a continuation of Korea’s ongoing efforts to modernize railway signals, including the Nag Hammadi-Luxor line signaling system modernization project (since 2021), and the upcoming project for the second phase of the Luxor-High Dam line.
The new project aims to enhance emergency medical care capabilities in the Nag Hammadi and Luxor areas; in response to railway-related incidents and medical emergencies.
The project is set to start next year by providing mobile clinics and medical equipment, in addition to upgrading emergency rooms and specialized training for medical personnel, which will enhance access to healthcare and strengthen Egypt’s overall response capabilities, especially in local and rural areas.
During the meeting, Ambassador Kim introduced the fellowship program in the name of Dr. Lee Jong-wook, former Director-General of the World Health Organization, and invited Egyptian healthcare professionals to participate.
The program is organized by the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), and has trained 1,500 healthcare professionals from 30 countries since 2007.
The program provides specialized courses such as clinical experience and health policies, ranging in duration from one week to two years. This year, Egypt will participate in the program for the first time, focusing on infectious disease response and leadership capabilities for health policies.
Ambassador Kim noted that the Korean company CheongAng Vaccines (CAVAC) is establishing, in cooperation with the Egyptian company Global Pharmaceutical Industries (GPI), a poultry vaccine production plant in the industrial zone of Sadat City with investments of up to $10 million. The construction is expected to be completed by next June, and the two companies plan to produce vaccines based on the OEM model, which will contribute to enhancing Egypt’s export market.
Ambassador Kim also invited the Minister of Health and Population to attend the reception on April 13 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Egypt. He said that the economic conference to be held on the sidelines of the celebration will provide an important platform to discuss prospects for cooperation in the field of medical and vital care, especially in light of Egypt’s growing role as a medical center in the Middle East and Africa.
As part of the tireless efforts to enhance cooperation between Korea and Egypt in the field of biomedicine, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) office in Egypt is organizing a visit by a Korean business delegation in the field of biomedicine next September. The delegation is expected to discuss ways to enhance investment and expand cooperation in the healthcare sector during bilateral meetings with some Egyptian companies.
Ambassador Kim also proposed holding bilateral discussions with the Egyptian Ministry of Health, including a seminar on key healthcare initiatives.
The Minister of Health welcomed these initiatives and affirmed Egypt’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with Korea. The meeting also touched on potential cooperation to develop a health insurance policy to provide universal health coverage.
