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FRONTLINE JOURNALS
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Cooperation in Health Care Uzbekistan-South Korea
Fazilat Nurmetova
Researcher at Andijan State University, Teacher of the "Political Science" department, University of Journalism and Mass
Communications of Uzbekistan
A R T I C L E I N f
О
Article history:
Submission Date: 17 March 2025
Accepted Date: 13 April 2025
Published Date: 15 May 2025
VOLUME:
Vol.05 Issue05
Page No. 21-24
DOI: -
https://doi.org/10.37547/social-
A B S T R A C T
This article examines the issues of cooperation in the field of healthcare
between Uzbekistan and South Korea, analyzes aspects of projects, grants
and trainings implemented by the Republic of South Korea with our
country. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and the Republic of
Korea have existed for more than 30 years, and during this period many
agreements, joint programs and grant projects in the social and medical
spheres have been implemented.
Keywords:
Uzbekistan, South Korea, EDSF Foundation, kofin, KOICA,
Farma Park pharmaceutical Cluster, KHIDI, Korean Traditional
Medicine Center.
INTRODUCTION
Since 1992, when diplomatic relations between the
Republic of Uzbekistan and South Korea were
established, there has been mutual cooperation in
all fields. The healthcare system is one of the
priority areas of cultural and humanitarian
relations between the two countries. During the
past period, agreements and memoranda on the
health care system were signed and joint ventures
were established. Branches of South Korea's
leading clinics and pharmaceutical enterprises
have been established in the territory of
Uzbekistan. In particular, the "New World Med"
company, which started its operations in
Uzbekistan in 2014, is an exclusive distributor of
drugs and medical equipment from South Korea to
our country [1]. Since 2015, it has opened a
representative office in Tashkent and a factory for
the production of medicines. With this, he started
to provide the Uzbek people not only with high-
quality medicinal products, but also strengthened
the cultural and humanitarian relations between
the two countries.
Relations between Uzbekistan and South Korea in
the field of medicine have also been reflected in the
provision of humanitarian assistance to the
population in need of social assistance. For
example, between 2011 and 2014, under the
auspices of the "Save the Children" organization of
the Republic of Korea, 245 children born with
heart defects were operated on at the hospital of
the Tashkent Pediatric Institute, and during 2014-
2017, 3,467 citizens of our country underwent free
medical examinations by the "KOICA" organization
and "Ewha Womans University [2].
Over the past period, medical tourism between
Uzbekistan and South Korea has been developing.
For example, in 2011, the number of Uzbeks who
visited South Korea for the purpose of medical
tourism was 450, and now this figure has increased
by 26% [3].
As a result of the official visit of the head of our
country to South Korea in 2017 and the official visit
of the former President of the Republic of Korea
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Moon Jae-in to Uzbekistan, cooperation in the field
of medicine has been strengthened. Also, within
the framework of inter-governmental cooperation,
our country has been implementing qualification
exchange programs. More than 400 medical
workers have been trained in the leading
institutions of the Republic of Korea [4].
After the official visit of the head of our country to
South Korea in 2017, the cooperation between
Uzbekistan and South Korea in the healthcare
system reached a new level. The opening of the
medical institution of Inkha University in
Uzbekistan was a prelude to the development of
further socio-cultural cooperation. Thousands of
young children in Tashkent city, Tashkent and
Navoi regions were medically examined and
treated
under
free
sponsorship
by
the
organization.
The role of international organizations in
strengthening the cultural and humanitarian
relations between Uzbekistan and South Korea is
incomparable. Organizations such as KOICA,
KOFIH, KHIDI, EDCF operate in Uzbekistan. As an
example, KOFIH [5] is a fund under the Ministry of
Health and Social Protection of the Republic of
Korea, and today this organization is implementing
advanced projects for the development of the
medical system in many countries of the world,
including Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, the work
carried out by this foundation on health care and
training of medical personnel is gaining
importance in the country's emergency medical
care, protection of mothers and children's health,
strengthening of reproductive health of the
population. The establishment of simulation
centers with this organization in the Republican
emergency medical center and its Samarkand
regional branch within the framework of the grant
project "Increasing the capacity of emergency
medical care before the hospital" created the basis
for further improving the quality of services
provided to the population in this direction. Also,
in cooperation with the Republican Research
Institute of Virology and KOFIH, a pilot project was
launched to identify the human papilloma virus
and improve the diagnosis of cervical cancer
among women living in Tashkent, Samarkand and
Andijan regions [6].
In addition, cooperation prospects were discussed
within the framework of the project of establishing
a multidisciplinary clinic in the Moynaq district of
the Republic of Karakalpakstan[7].
On November 27, 2018, the Korean folk medicine
center was opened as part of the cooperation
between Uzbekistan and South Korea. In Tashkent,
a center of Korean folk medicine was opened in
cooperation with the Tashkent Medical Academy
(TMA) and the Korean Health Development
Institute (KHIDI). This was done thanks to the joint
efforts of the two countries - Uzbekistan and the
Republic of Korea, and a decision was made to
further develop traditional medicine at a high level.
On August 10, 2018, the president signed the
decision "On measures to develop folk medicine".
During the visit of the President of the Republic of
Korea Moon Jae-in to Uzbekistan on April 18-21,
2019, agreements on cooperation between the two
countries, including the health system, were
signed. During the visit, a memorandum of
understanding was signed on the establishment of
the Uzbekistan-Korea health cooperation center
and its activities, and the "Action plan for the
development of the electronic health system in
Uzbekistan" was adopted. In this way, he
expanded cooperation with Uzbekistan in the field
of healthcare and medicine. As a practical result of
contacts in these areas, the Uzbekistan-Korea
Health Care Cooperation Center was established in
April 2019.
Cooperation in the field of health and medicine
between South Korea and Uzbekistan has
strengthened during the coronavirus era. Due to
the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities for
promoting innovations in the field of health care
based on ICT in Uzbekistan are increasing with
South Korea. Based on the covid-19 situation of the
government of the Republic of Korea, cooperation
between South Korea and Uzbekistan in the field of
health care and electronic medicine has been
established.
On April 26, 2020, the Republic of Korea delivered
humanitarian aid, including high-tech medical
equipment weighing 6.2 tons, modern automatic
medical beds and diagnostic test systems, worth
about $900,000. The total amount of humanitarian
aid is about 34 tons, and the second batch worth
$192,000 arrived in Tashkent on May 10, 2020. In
addition, on May 23, humanitarian aid was sent
from the Republic of Korea in October 2020[8]. At
the same time, on the basis of the pharmaceutical
cluster, which is being established together with
Korean companies, the development of effective
vaccines and sera, as well as the rapid and accurate
distribution of diseases, has been launched.
The health sector was another important area
discussed during the negotiations between Sh.M.
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Mirziyoyev and Yun Sok Yol. South Korea is gaining
importance in establishing medical centers,
improving the qualifications of medical personnel,
equipping national medical institutions with
modern equipment, protecting the health of
mothers and children, sharing experience in the
treatment of hereditary diseases, and other areas.
In 2020, the construction of a multidisciplinary
children's hospital in Tashkent was completed
with the support of the Korean EDSF Foundation.
The implementation of the joint medical cluster,
which includes the university, hospital, oncoclinic
and pharmaceutical cluster, continues at a rapid
pace. At the end of the negotiations, the parties
agreed to implement the second stage of the
"Farma Park" farm cluster project and to launch a
long-term program for improving the skills of
medical workers in South Korea.
Based on the President's decision of January 28,
2020,
"Tashkent
Pharma
Park"
on
the
establishment of an innovative scientific-
production pharmaceutical cluster, 750 million
dollars have been allocated for construction work.
Initially, 12 projects will be launched within the
cluster. In addition, 14 other projects related to the
sector are being worked on. In November 2023, the
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
Uzbekistan-Korea International Medical Forum
was held in Tashkent [9].
Today, in cooperation with Korea, projects on the
construction of the "Adult multidisciplinary
medical center" worth 150 million US dollars and
the "Oncological clinic" worth 150 million US
dollars are being developed.
CONCLUSION
The health sector occupies an incomparable place
in the relations between Uzbekistan and South
Korea, therefore, further strengthening and rapid
development of these relations is an urgent issue.
The following conclusions of the study will help us
understand the state and prospects of cooperation
between the two countries in this field. First of all,
cooperation in the field of health care between
Uzbekistan and South Korea has been developing
consistently historically. Since the establishment
of diplomatic relations in 1992, various
agreements, joint projects and grant programs
have been implemented between the two
countries on the health care system. In particular,
through Korean organizations such as KOICA,
KHIDI, KOFIH, the medical infrastructure in
Uzbekistan was improved, the quality of medical
services increased, and modern technologies were
introduced. This cooperation is expanding to
include medical tourism, training programs and
scientific and technical projects.
Secondly, in the process of cooperation with the
Republic of Korea, healthcare infrastructure has
been developed in Uzbekistan, new medical
institutions have been established, and qualified
specialists are being trained based on international
experience. In particular, projects such as the
opening of the medical institution of Inkha
University,
the
establishment
of
the
pharmaceutical cluster "Tashkent Pharma Park"
and the modernization of the emergency medical
care system have led to the widespread use of
innovative approaches in various areas of
medicine.
In addition, humanitarian aid provided by South
Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic, initiatives
to develop the electronic health system and
introduce
advanced
technologies
further
increased the effectiveness of cooperation.
Thirdly, cooperation in the field of health between
Uzbekistan and South Korea is of strategic
importance and is expected to deepen in the future.
In this direction, new promising projects such as
improving the quality of medical services,
developing digital technologies in healthcare, and
applying genetic research are being implemented.
In particular, joint programs aimed at creating
centers for the treatment of oncological diseases,
expanding research on the identification of genetic
diseases, and strengthening the health of mothers
and children have been identified as one of the
priorities.
Based on the above analysis and conclusions, the
following can be suggested:
First, the introduction of innovative technologies
in health care - it is necessary to widely use South
Korean
technologies
such
as
advanced
telemedicine,
artificial
intelligence-based
diagnostics and genetic analysis in the health care
system of Uzbekistan. For this, it is necessary to
develop additional programs aimed at improving
the qualifications of specialists and assimilating
international experience.
Second, deepen cooperation in the field of
pharmaceuticals and biotechnology - Uzbekistan
should expand joint projects with South Korea on
the development of the pharmaceutical industry
and the production of medicines. By attracting
local and international investments, it will be
appropriate to create modern pharmaceutical
clusters and conduct joint scientific research on
the production of innovative drugs.
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