South Korea has offered support for the development of Bangladesh’s health sector as hundreds of thousands of people travel abroad for medical tourism.
Ambassador Park Young-sik highlighted how Korea has developed its medical sector with the assistance from abroad during the early stages of economic development and said they are “committed to repaying our debt by sharing our development experiences with other developing countries.”
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day International Conference on Accreditation for Quality Medical Education on Monday night at a city hotel. The Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA) organized the conference.
Adviser of the interim government Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, president of the World Federation of Medical Education Prof Ricardo Leon Borquez and President of the Bangladesh Private Medical College Association M A Mubin Khan spoke at the closing ceremony.
The ambssador said Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in its healthcare sector in recent decades. Substantial reductions in maternal and child mortality rates, increased life expectancy, and improved immunization coverage are the best examples. Bangladesh has received high praise for its effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic through a successful vaccination campaign.
However, there are still significant challenges which should be addressed by the government, he said.
Firstly, more than 800,000 people travel abroad for medical treatment annually, and billions of dollars are spent on medical tourism by Bangladesh people.
Secondly, over 1,600 people died of dengue in Bangladesh last year. This disease must be overcome in the future through the development of vaccines and close international cooperation.
Thirdly, many Bangladeshis suffer from non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypotension. For example, one in four adults in Bangladesh suffer from hypertension. A major cause of NCDs in Bangladesh is related to dietary habits.
It is crucial for the Bangladesh people to adopt their diets in line with WHO guidelines.
Fourthly, with only 2.5% of the population covered by health insurance, a majority remains vulnerable to the financial strains of healthcare costs. Therefore, the government of Bangladesh must strive to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) until 2032, as announced by the government.
Lastly, Bangladesh has one of the highest out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures in the world. Around 72 percent of the total health expenditures in Bangladeshis borne by the households. Ensuring equitable access to healthcare requires more investment by the government in the health sector. However, the fiscal year 2025 budget allocated only 0.74% to the health sector, which has decreased over the last four years, said the ambassador.
He said the Medical College of Seoul National University and its Hospital was developed under the project of the University of Minnesota which ran from 1955 to 1961.
A total of 77 medical experts, including 62 doctors, received medical training at the University of Minnesota’s Medical College. Among them, 27 experts were trained for more than two years.
“Korea is the first country in the world to become a donor nation from ODA recipient country. Korea could have built today’s economy with the support and assistance of the international community,” he said, adding that Korea is ready to cooperate and collaborate with Bangladesh.
One of the examples is the project of BSMMU super-specialised hospital, which was inaugurated in September 2022. This hospital has world-class facilities, including stem cell therapy, gene therapy and robotic surgery.
“However, I was told that the hospital is not fully functional yet due to a shortage of doctors, technicians and support staff,” he lamented.
“I believe that full operation of this hospital will contribute to improving medical treatment of the general public.”
He said Korea also established the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) in honor of Dr. Lee Jong-wook who passed away while serving as the Director General of WHO.
KOFIH is currently running Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program which invites foreign medical professionals to participate in medical training courses in Korea.
“I hope that many Bangladeshi doctors will take advantage of this program.”
Korea and Bangladesh celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations last year.
Over the past five decades, both countries have witnessed a remarkable journey of cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment, development and people-to-people exchanges.
“Now is the time for both countries to work together to make the next 50 years even brighter and more prosperous in all areas,” he said.