KOICA Provides Non-Face-to-Face 'Medical Consultation' in Peru, Latin America... Transferring K-Quarantine Expertise

Professor from Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Former KOICA Global Cooperation Doctor, Hosts Online Seminar
Sharing South Korea's COVID-19 Best Practices

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) announced on the 18th that it is holding a ‘Web-Seminar for Medical Consultation to Overcome COVID-19 in Peru’ for officials from the Peruvian Ministry of Health, medical staff, and seven health centers nationwide, and is providing quarantine supplies.

Despite the Peruvian government declaring a national state of emergency, enforcing mandatory self-quarantine, and restricting nationwide movement on March 16, as of May 16, Peru has over 88,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,523 deaths, making it the second most affected country in Latin America after Brazil. In particular, about 900 doctors and 1,400 nurses across Peru have been infected with COVID-19, and 18 doctors have died, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen the infectious disease protection and response capabilities of medical personnel fighting on the front lines.

Accordingly, KOICA Peru Office, in cooperation with Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, held a policy seminar for the Peruvian Ministry of Health and a medical video seminar for medical staff on the 9th and 14th, respectively. This seminar was conducted using an online video conferencing program to allow Peruvian officials and medical staff, who currently face movement restrictions, to participate from anywhere.

The first web seminar was led by Professor Yoo Byung-wook of Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, a KOICA global cooperation doctor alumnus in Peru, who introduced Korea’s COVID-19 response experience and strategies to senior officials of the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Based on his medical volunteer work and clinical experience in Peru, Professor Yoo provided policy advice tailored to the Peruvian medical environment. Participants showed great interest in Korea’s quarantine policies, including mask supply policies, contact tracing of confirmed cases, and effective suppression measures.

The second web seminar, led by Professors Kim Tae-hyung and Lee Eun-jung of the Infectious Diseases Department at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, was attended by about 300 medical staff from Peru’s government-designated COVID-19 hospitals. The Peruvian medical staff asked questions about Korea’s quarantine policies and specific response cases, especially regarding the use of limited medical infrastructure and methods to protect medical personnel during the rapid increase of infectious diseases. Additionally, discussions were held on Korea’s treatment process to increase the number of recovered patients and the use of candidate drugs for COVID-19 treatment such as Remdesivir.

Lee Jung-wook, head of the KOICA office, said, “The rapid increase in confirmed cases is having a significant impact on various aspects of the economy and society, and the demand for video conferencing is expanding beyond COVID-19 quarantine experience to other fields such as economic revitalization and online education, so it is necessary to identify additional demands accordingly.” He added, “We will expand untact development cooperation projects in the post-Corona era.”

Meanwhile, KOICA is providing quarantine supplies worth approximately $50,000, including masks, protective suits, and face shields, centered on the Peruvian Ministry of Health and KOICA health centers in connection with the video conference.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.