Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Discusses Health Sector Cooperation Measures at G20 Meeting

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, announced on the 20th that he attended the in-person G20 Health Ministers' Meeting held in India over two days from the 18th to the 19th, where he discussed cooperation measures in the health sector. Vice Minister Park exchanged ideas with major countries on health crisis prevention, establishing cooperative systems for medical countermeasures such as vaccines, and digital health cooperation strategies.

At the Health Ministers' Meeting, Vice Minister Park introduced South Korea's infectious disease surveillance system, emphasizing the importance of the One Health approach and preparedness against antibiotic resistance. He also explained that South Korea's training programs for bio-personnel from low- and middle-income countries, conducted as a global bio workforce training hub, are part of efforts to ensure equitable access to Medical Countermeasures. He highlighted the importance of the rapid supply and distribution of pharmaceuticals, a lesson learned from COVID-19, and stressed the cooperation of G20 countries and the role of international organizations in this regard.

Vice Minister Park also met with Steve Barclay, the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Korea-UK health sector cooperation. Both countries plan to deepen mutual cooperation and work together to achieve tangible outcomes based on this MOU.

Additionally, Vice Minister Park met with Mark Butler, Australia's Minister for Health and Aged Care, to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the health sector. They plan to promote collaboration in the pharmaceutical and bio sectors and work towards expanding health cooperation projects in the Western Pacific region.

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