보건복지부 영문홈페이지

Korea’s 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare meets with Denmark’s Minister of Health and discusses healthcare cooperation

보건복지부 제2차관 덴마크 보건부 장관과 보건의료분야 협력 논의

PRESS RELEASE

AUG 29, 2022

Korea’s 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Ki-il met with Denmark’s Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke at Grand Hyatt Seoul at 11:00 on August 29 (Mon.) to share the two nation’s response measures to COVID-19 and discuss bilateral cooperation in major healthcare areas such as chronic disease and smart hospital.

The meeting was held at the request of Minister Heunicke during his visit to Korea aimed at reinforcing bilateral healthcare cooperation at a time when easing of pandemic public health measures are leading to increased inter-governmental meetings, personal exchanges, trade, and overall international exchange and countries are preparing against the possibility of a future potential infectious disease outbreak.

After the conclusion of an MOU on healthcare cooperation in 2013, the two countries revised the MOU in March 2021 to effectively deal with the latest changes in related fields and the need to expand joint actions against the pandemic.

At the meeting, the two sides shared their experiences in COVID-19 response and discussed the future direction of infection control.

Vice Minister Lee stressed the importance of measures that cater to the actual expectations of the public and Korea’s focus on taking action against diverse variants in a prompt manner and securing sufficient vaccines and therapies.

Minister Heunicke also highlighted the need to flexibly adjust policies for variants, remain prepared for the possible emergence of new variants, and earn public trust in infection control measures.

The two sides then moved on to the issues of decreasing birth rate and population aging that are affecting both nations.

In response to the decreasing birth rates, the two sides agreed that multi-faceted policies, instead of short-term fragmentary policies, are needed to resolve related problems across all social sectors including education, employment, and housing.

Vice Minister Lee also mentioned that it is essential to further promote men’s participation in childcare and housework to tackle this issue.

Minister Heunicke stated that Denmark is one of many countries experiencing an increase in patients with chronic diseases due to population aging and has recognized the importance of community-based care services to reduce healthcare costs.

Vice Minister Lee responded that Korea, facing the same problem, is pushing ahead with the launch of community-based care program for the elderly, which provide a combination of assistance with daily living activities and medical treatment at home.

During his visit, Minister Heunicke held the Smart Hospital Conference jointly with Korea Health Industry Development Institute and co-organized a seminar with the National Health Insurance Service on the theme “Chronic Diseases and Patient Participation” on August 29, followed by the signing of an MOU on chronic diseases with the National Health Insurance Service on August 30.

The two sides also discussed the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Minister Heunicke introduced ICARS, which was established to help resolve AMR problems in low and middle income countries(LMIC) under the leadership of Denmark, and requested Korea’s participation.

Vice Minister Lee responded that the Korean government has been seeking to take measures in recognition of the seriousness of AMR and will thoroughly review Denmark’s proposal.

Vice Minister Lee added, “The precursor of Korea’s current National Medical Center, which is playing an instrumental role in responding to infectious diseases in the nation, was the Medical Center established with Denmark’s support after the Korean War. This set an excellent example of international cooperation in the healthcare sector. We expect bilateral healthcare cooperation between our two countries to continue to expand throughout the future.”

/For inquiries contact Media Relations, Ministry of Health and Welfare

044-202-2047 or fairytale@korea.kr