Public hospital in western Seoul becomes blueprint for global health care
Seoul Seobuk Hospital welcomes Danish elder care experts for visits focused on public health care operations at the hospital, Sept. 10. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul Seobuk Hospital, a public health care hub in western Seoul's Eunpyeong District, transformed its wards into training grounds for international health officials this month, offering visiting delegations from Denmark and Kenya a firsthand look at Korea’s approaches to dementia care, tuberculosis control and palliative care.
The hospital hosted Danish elder care policy experts on Sept. 10, followed by 17 Kenyan Ministry of Health officials on Sept. 17, as part of a series of exchanges focused on public health care in Seoul.
The Danish delegation examined Seobuk Hospital’s dementia ward, including its admission procedures, caregiver-support rooms, nonpharmacological treatment programs and links between discharged patients and community services.
The delegation included Danish elder care policy expert Dr. Jacob Høj Jørgensen, whose name has also appeared in recent Korean reports on Danish elder care policy, along with other officials.
Visitors toured the ward’s central garden, Snoezelen multisensory room, patient rooms and program spaces and observed a music-based care program, according to the hospital.
Questions focused on how medication and nonmedication treatments are combined, how discharge decisions are made, how aggressive behavior is handled and how care staff are trained.
Seoul Seobuk Hospital employees welcome a Kenyan delegation for visits focused on public health care operations at the hospital, Sept.17. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
The Kenyan delegation visited as part of a 14-day training program running from Sept. 6 to Saturday under a Korea International Cooperation Agency project designed to strengthen health-promotion capabilities among mid- and senior-level Kenyan health officials.
The 17 officials, accompanied by three supervisors and an interpreter, received briefings on tuberculosis programs for vulnerable populations, palliative care for terminal cancer patients and dementia care before touring corresponding hospital wards.
Seobuk Hospital said the visit was intended to show how Seoul’s public health policies are carried out in medical settings and to help participants consider approaches that could be applied to Kenya’s health-promotion and disease-prevention programs.
Lee Chang-kyu, president of Seobuk Hospital, said the hospital will continue sharing its experience with international partners.
"This exchange provides a valuable framework for us to regularly share our expertise in dementia care, tuberculosis management, palliative medicine and support for vulnerable populations," said Dr. Lee Chang-kyu, director of Seoul Seobuk Hospital. "By expanding the flow of medical insights and policy solutions between Korea, Denmark and Kenya, we hope to meaningfully advance global health cooperation."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.