COLOMBO : On the 17th of February 2023, to strengthen the capacity-building of biomedical engineering services in Sri Lanka, the Korea Foundation for Healthcare (KOFIH) donated medical items including calibration and testing equipment to the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka.
This donation is a part of the $ 8 million grant to Sri Lanka by the Korean Foundation for Healthcare, a quasi-government agency affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea. The handover ceremony of the medical equipment was held in the presence of President of the Korean Foundation for International Health (KOFIH) Dr. Chang-Yup KIM, Korean Ambassador H.E. Santhush Woonjin JEONG and the representatives of KOFIH who were welcomed by the Minister of Health Dr Keheliya Rambukwella and the Secretary for the Ministry of Health Mr. S. Janaka Sri Chandraguptha at the Ministry of Health, Colombo.
At the handover ceremony, the Minister of Health Dr Keheliya Rambukwella, expressed his deep gratitude to the Government of Korea and KOFIH for the numerous ways of support given to Sri Lanka in the past and said that this donation would enhance the bio-medical engineering systems of Sri Lanka. The Minister stated “Sri Lanka is a resilient country. Korea’s relationship with Sri Lanka has been strong and Korea has never hesitated to assist Sri Lanka with open arms. Improving the technology for the health system in Sri Lanka is an important component and I extend my appreciation and gratitude to KOFIH for the long term relationship that we will cultivate to help us move forward.”
The Korean Ambassador Santhush Woonjin JEONG appreciated the contribution of KOFIH and mentioned that “Over the past years, KOFIH has continued to successfully strengthen the capacity of the healthcare workforce in partner countries including in Sri Lanka. For example, KOFIH has enhanced the capabilities of medical professionals in Sri Lanka through the ‘Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program’ for more than 50 medical professionals. The systemic and practical health and medical training and the transfer of medical technologies have made a positive impact on the health sector of Sri Lanka.”
President of the Korean Foundation for International Health (KOFIH) Dr. Chang-Yup KIM expressed the willingness of KOFIH to develop the health system of Sri Lanka based on the pre-existing cooperation to strengthen relations between Korea and Sri Lanka. “Establishing a country office is the stepping stone for the contribution of KOFIH to improve the healthcare system of Sri Lanka. All efforts of making this ceremony possible would pave the way to foster more thriving and friendly partnerships between Korea and Sri Lanka. “
KOFIH is a public agency affiliated with the ministry of health and welfare of the Republic of Korea. As a leading organisation specialising in healthcare support, it dedicates itself to promoting better healthcare and providing government-level aid for partner countries by implementing development assistance projects, providing emergency medical relief and other international support on humanitarian grounds. In 2007, KOFIH initiated Dr. Lee Jong-Wook fellowship programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of healthcare providers in partner countries including Sri Lanka. From 2007 to 2021, 1071 healthcare personnel in 30 countries including 61 from Sri Lanka received training through this programme.
