보건복지부 영문홈페이지

Gateway prepared for attracting patients from

Middle Eastern countries

- First national-level agreement on acceptance of patients concluded with

Abu Dhabi Health Authority -

Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Rim, Chae Min) said that an agreement between Abu Dhabi Health Authority (CEO Zaid Daoud Al Siksek) and four Korean medical institutions* was made that allows inflow of patients from Middle Eastern countries to Korea on 25 Nov. (Fri.)

* Samsung Seoul Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, and Asan Medical Center 

This is the first agreement designed to attract overseas patients reached with a foreign country.

Upon this agreement, from now on, patients will be sent for medical treatment at local medical institutions in Korea from Abu Dhabi at the Abu Dhabi Health Authority level.

Three persons from Abu Dhabi including Chairman Mohammed Sultan Al Hameli and CEO Zaid Daoud Al Siksek, etc are visiting Korea from 24 Nov. to 26 for the conclusion of this agreement..

* (Visitors from Abu Dhabi Health Authority) Abu Dhabi Health Authority has a Chairman-CEO system where CEO is under leadership of Chairman but CEO makes decisions on working-level administration and affairs.

During the stay, they received a physical check-up at Seoul National University Hospital (Director Jeong, Hee Won) to get a taste of Korean medical service and tried treatment procedures and services that Abu Dhabi patients will experience at the four medical institutions that reached the agreement with Abu Dhabi Health Authority.

Under the agreement, the four domestic medical institutions will provide medical service according to treatment plans approved by Abu Dhabi Health Authority and charge cost to the Authority within 6 months after the service is provided.

Then, Abu Dhabi Health Authority pays the amount in Korean won within 45 days after the charge is made and the payment will be made through the financial department of UAE Embassy in Korea. 

Discussion will soon take place to set up departments to handle concerned tasks in Abu Dhabi Health Authority and UAE Embassy in Korea.

The agreement is a tangible result of government-level efforts and promotion/marketing in order to ensure cooperation in the health and medicine area.

After MOU was reached with UAE Ministry of Health, Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Dubai Health Authority, a working-level delegation from Abu Dhabi Health Authority visited Korean medical institutions in June to check and confirm quality status of Korean medical service and selected Korean medical institutions.

A delegation from Korea in turn visited Abu Dhabi in October and successfully concluded the agreement on acceptance of patients from Abu Dhabi. This holds significance as it was achieved upon trust and close consultation between two nations within a relatively short period of time.

Currently, Abu Dhabi is in the process of selecting the very first patient to be transferred to Korea and it will send out patients to the four medical institutions in Korea starting from early next year at the latest as soon as an administrative procedure is completed.

According to an official from Ministry of Health and Welfare, although Abu Dhabi Health Authority has been sending patients mainly to Thailand, Singapore, Germany and UK, etc,

It expressed its intention that it will transfer patients mainly to Korea from now as it found Korean medical service, treatment procedure and systems to be excellent and efficient during its visitation to Korea.

There is a growing demand for medical service and treatment in UAE as diabetes, chronic diseases and cancers are increasing due to cultural and environmental lifestyles of its people. However, quality of its medical service and care is low due to a lack of good medical personnel, thus making the nation highly dependent of foreign medical institutions.

* The population of UAE is quite young as most of Abu Dhabi people are 40 years and younger (the average age: 22). However, the rate of diabetes is seriously high at 22 %.  

* 12 Abu Dhabi Health Authority-owned hospitals are entrusted to and run by foreign hospitals such as Johns Hopkins Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Bumrungrad Hospital and VAMED, etc.

In this regard, this agreement is anticipated to provide a gateway for transfer of patients between the two nations and become a new growth engine force for Korean medical institutions and related businesses to tap into the Middle Easter market such as export of medical supplies and devices.

Currently, Samsung Dubai Clinic (Apr. 10) and Wooridul Spine Hospital in Dubai (Apr. 11) are running their businesses in the UAE and Korean licenses for medical personnel are also being recognized allowing them to provide medical service and treatment in UAE.*

* (Dubai) Korean medical personnel licenses recognized (Apr. 10), (Abu Dhabi) Korean specialists recognized (Jan. 11) and consultant licenses recognized (Jun. 11)

Many more Korean medical institutions are expected to enter the UAE and cooperation in various medical areas such as IT-based health and medical system which Korea excels in as well as medical personnel training is anticipated to happen from now on.

An official from Ministry of Health and Welfare said that this agreement provides an opportunity for the two nations to level up their partnership not just as economic partners but also as partners in the health and medicine. 

Also, as Korea becomes a partner country for the Middle East in the health and medicine with the enhancement of the recognition of Korean medical service there, it is expected that the second “boom” in the Middle East sparked by Korea’s 21 century medicine following the first “boom” based on oil and construction in 1960s and 70s will be unfolding.