보건복지부 영문홈페이지

Ministry of Health and Welfare
and Ministry of Public Administration and Security sign an MoU on ODA

-       Health centers providing medical services will open in New Community halls planned to  be built in developing countries –

Minister of Health and Welfare Rim Chemin and Minister of Public Administration and Security Maeng Hyungkyu signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on official development assistance (called ODA hereafter) at the Central Government Complex on September 19^th.

This MoU is aimed at enhancing the efficiency of our country’s ODA project and sharing our developmental experiences with developing countries by conjoining Korea's highly demanded healthcare program and the Saemaul Movement's (Korea's new community-building movement) successful methodology of developing rural areas.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has made efforts with the ministry-affiliated Korea Foundation for International Healthcare to improve mother-and-child environments and fight epidemics in developing nations such as Laos and Cambodia. It has also contributed to improving medical services in developing countries through the “Lee Jongwook Fellowship,” which is a mid- and long-term training program for medical staff.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Security (called MOPAS hereafter) has supported rural areas to help raise income and improve environments under the project name “Global New Community Movement,” and has also provided a training program for village leaders.

Taking this MoU as a new opportunity, the both ministries plan to drive policy linkage on ODA projects, conduct cooperative projects, mutually utilize training programs, and share foreign networks and information.

Policy consultations to develop a cooperation project were made with the Myanmar government this past July, and the ministries’ initiative cooperation project is scheduled to launch in Yangon, Myanmar.

When a New Community hall is built with the support from the MOPAS, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will open a health center in the hall to offer basic medical services.

In addition, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will provide local residents with health programs, and will support county hospitals and health centers with medical equipment. It also plans to offer an education program for medical staff.

The conjunction of the ODA project on health and medical services and the Saemaul Movement is considered a unique Korean development experience, of which successful localization is expected to help developing countries’ economic and social development.

Minister of Health and Welfare Rim Chemin said, “Through a brisk association of the ODA project between the two ministries, (we) hope this project will be able to settle in as a successful model for ODA in rural area development.”