Korea, US strengthen healthcare partnership

Health and Welfare Minister Chung Chin-youb says Korea and the United States are strengthening partnership in the healthcare sector. / Courtesy of Ministry of Health and Welfare

By Chung Chin-youb

During the state visit of President Park Geun-hye to the United States, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) hosted a signing ceremony for a letter of intent (LOI) on collaborative research in precision medicine and MERS-CoV between the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Korea National Institute of Health (KNIH) on Oct. 16 at the Stone House in the U.S. NIH, Bethesda, Md.

The LOI was a follow-up measure of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the MOHW amended and extended on June 22, to which “precision medicine” and the “Global Health Security Agenda” were added as new areas of bilateral collaboration.

In the LOI, both countries agreed to enhance cooperation by exploring funding mechanisms for research activities in the areas of precision medicine, developing vaccines and treatments against emerging infectious diseases including MERS-CoV, promoting personnel exchange and holding a regular joint symposium between the U.S. NIH and three major Korean health R&D institutions comprising the KNIH, Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and National Cancer Center (NCC).

The importance of this LOI lies on the fact that it gave both nations an opportunity to reaffirm their shared interest on future public health threats and make commitments to put in concerted efforts to tackle them through collaboration in the future-oriented research areas.

Precision medicine is a new concept of healthcare and medical intervention, which was introduced in the State of the Union Address by U.S. President Barack Obama this year, which aims to enhance people’s health and establish a sustainable medical system simultaneously.

Lee Joo-shil, left, the director-general of the Korea National Institute of Health, and her U.S. counterpart Francis S. Collins sign a letter of intent on collaborative research in precision medicine and MERS-CoV between the two countries on Oct. 16 at Bethesda, Md. / Courtesy of Ministry of Health and Welfare

As proposed by the U.S. NIH, a leading institution of U.S. Precision Medicine Initiative, smart healthcare, big data and genomics are merged together in precision medicine to provide customized medical services to patients. This innovative approach is expected to cut medical costs and create new job opportunities.

Korea possesses well-established infrastructure for research in precision medicine as can be seen from the example of its resources such as a cohort study on 250,000 people, genomic information of 100,000 Koreans scheduled for completion in 2018 as well as highest level of medical technology and IT infrastructure. Through the LOI, Korea will cooperate closely with the U.S. by utilizing its infrastructure for precision medicine abovementioned and merging them with cutting-edge medical technology of the U.S.

In addition, the research collaboration on precision medicine between Korea and the U.S. holds a great significance. It will not only give a chance for Korea to take the lead in Asia’s precision medicine industry but also reinforce Korea’s partnership with the U.S. as frontrunners of global precision medicine research.

Health security is another important field of bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Korea. At a time when there is increasing awareness among the public for emerging infectious diseases as serious health threats that require global action, the LOI with U.S. NIH will guide Korea toward closer cooperation with the U.S. on the development of treatments and vaccines for MERS-CoV.

In order to accelerate collaborative research activities as agreed on the LOI by both sides, the ministry will set up a task force consisting of experts from academia, industry and institutions including the KNIH, KHIDI and NCC to create a follow-up plan for effective research collaboration. Together with the governmental effort, strong support and participation from the public will be needed for the LOI to have a lasting impact.

On the other hand, the ministry held a meeting on Oct. 15 with representatives of Korean-American professionals and institutions in health and medical industries currently at the forefront of the efforts to expand the presence of the Korean medical industry in the U.S. which comprises approximately 18,000 Korean-American doctors, 35 hospitals and clinics, and 120 pharmaceutical companies.

In this meeting, the ministry introduced its multilateral efforts such as financing and information provision, and public relations to promote the advancement of Korea’s health and medical industries in the global market.

Representatives of Korean-American medical professionals and institutions asked the Korean government to show unwavering interest and support so that the Korean health and medical industries continue to rapidly expand their global presence by taking advantage of their networks.

Participants also requested an immediate enactment of an applicable law to ensure a stable expansion of health and medical business inside and outside Korea.

The law regarding the Support of Medical Business Expansion in the Global Market, which is now pending in the National Assembly, would provide governmental support of financing and information to medical institutions preparing to enter overseas markets commensurate with the benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The law would also reinforce governmental support for training medical experts. Also, a variety of support projects will be implemented by specialized support organizations, thus enabling systematic support which meets the demand of the private sector.

The ministry is fully committed to endeavor that Korea will stand out on the globe for attraction of cross-border patients and expansion of health and medical markets. To this end, the ministry will continue to work to make necessary laws as early as possible.

Chung Chin-youb is the minister of health and welfare.