Medical know-how deal inked with Saudis

Korea will set up hospital information systems in Saudi Arabia’s 3,000 public medical centers, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.

Also with five Korean hospitals participating, including Samsung Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital, 100 doctors from Saudi Arabia will visit Korea every year to learn more about its advanced medical expertise.

Health Minister Chin Young and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Abdullah Al Rabeeah reached an agreement on medical know-how transfer on Sunday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

Korea will export a comprehensive hospital information system that manages all aspects of operations such as managing blood banks, conducting telemedicine and other administrative and medical tasks.

Telemedicine refers to providing clinical consultations via telecommunications and information technologies to patients remotely.

With the Sunday agreement, Korea became the fourth country to which Saudi Arabia will send doctors to learn advanced medical techniques. The three countries previously chosen by Saudi Arabia were the United States, Canada and France.

BY KANG JIN-KYU [jkkang2@joongang.co.kr]