– MOHW holds first Joint Steering Committee meeting with Qatar and signs Agreed Minutes on health cooperation –
– Also holds talks with Saudi Ministry of Health to expand Korean medical technology and AI/digital healthcare –
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, Minister Jeong Eun Kyeong) announced that Vice Minister Lee Hyung-hoon visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar from November 2 to 5 to discuss ways to expand cooperation in the health and medical sectors.
On November 2, Vice Minister Lee visited Health Holding Company (HHC)*, an agency under the Saudi Ministry of Health, and Lean Business Services**, a digital innovation company under the Public Investment Fund (PIF), to review the progress of Saudi Arabia’s digital healthcare initiatives under Vision 2030 and to explore opportunities for cooperation. He also met Saudi trainees who completed training programs in Korea to hear their perspectives on applying their learning in Saudi clinical settings, improving Korea-based training programs, and developing new curricula.
* HHC manages medical institutions under the Saudi Ministry of Health―covering about 60 percent of all Saudi medical institutions―including 20 health clusters, 5 medical cities, 363 general hospitals, and 2,161 primary care facilities, totaling 44,000 beds
** Lean Business Services is a PIF-affiliated digital healthcare solutions company leading the modernization of medical systems, including university hospital information systems. On October 28, Korea’s ezCaretech and Lean Business Services signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in digital healthcare
On November 3, Korea and Saudi Arabia held a bilateral meeting. Vice Minister Lee first met with Einas Al-Eisa, Vice Minister of Education, to discuss cooperation on human resource development, including the expansion of training programs* for Saudi healthcare professionals in Korea. The two sides agreed to conclude a new MOU at an early date to advance and formalize cooperation.
* As of October 2025, a total of 594 healthcare professionals from four Middle Eastern countries―Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman―have completed training in Korea, with Saudi trainees accounting for 555, or 93 percent
Building on these discussions, Korea and Saudi Arabia plan to expand training opportunities beyond physicians and dentists to include nurses, pharmacists, and medical technologists, while updating the current training partnership* to reflect actual training costs, introduce online medical training through the MKA e-class, and host joint professional seminars. Beyond training, both sides agreed to broaden cooperation to areas of shared interest such as clinical trials and R&D on advanced technologies.
* This partnership was established in May 2018 among the MOHW, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education
Vice Minister Lee also held a bilateral meeting with Abdulaziz Hamad Al-Ramaih, Vice Minister of Health for Planning and Development, to discuss cooperation in digital healthcare, biopharmaceuticals, hospital information systems, smart hospitals and robotic surgery, and health insurance. The two sides agreed to update the 2016 MOU on Health and Medical Cooperation to make bilateral cooperation more practical and concrete.
In addition, the Korean delegation visited the SEHA Virtual Hospital, operated by the Saudi Ministry of Health. To improve care quality across regions and strengthen patient access, the Ministry is implementing programs in digital and AI-based disease management, teleradiology and image reading, and remote consultation services. As a potential area of collaboration with Korea, the Saudi side proposed cooperation on AI-driven healthcare solutions.
Korea and Saudi Arabia maintain a future-oriented partnership at the government level. Since 2012, through intergovernmental cooperation, Korea has exported hospital information systems developed in Korea to support Saudi Arabia’s digital healthcare infrastructure. The Saudi government is also strengthening cooperation with Korean companies in digital healthcare as part of its efforts to implement Vision 2030*.
* Established in 2016 under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Vision 2030 is Saudi Arabia’s national economic and social reform strategy aimed at reducing dependence on oil and diversifying key industries, with digital healthcare designated as a policy priority in the health sector
On the same day, Vice Minister Lee attended the MOU signing ceremony between Korea’s ezCaretech and King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS)* and offered his congratulations and support for the expansion of Korean hospital information systems and digital healthcare technologies in Saudi Arabia, as well as for strengthened cooperation in human resource development.
* KSAU-HS is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading universities in digital healthcare and operates a master’s program in medical informatics
On November 4, in Doha, Qatar, Vice Minister Lee held the first Joint Steering Committee meeting with Ghanim Ali Al Mannai, Assistant Undersecretary for Healthcare Regulatory Affairs at Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health, and signed Agreed Minutes* outlining the expansion of treatment in Korea for Qatari government-sponsored patients, cooperation on training programs in Korea for Qatari healthcare professionals, facilitation of Korean healthcare professionals’ employment in Qatar, and cooperation in advanced medical technologies.
* These Agreed Minutes concern an Action Plan to be developed to implement new health cooperation under the Korea–Qatar MOU on Health and Medical Cooperation signed in November 2014
Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health has been sending patients who require care unavailable locally to Korea at government expense (78 patients in 2024). Building on the meeting, the two sides agreed to increase the number of government-sponsored patients and to pursue provider agreements (PAs) between Qatari authorities and Korean medical institutions.
* For reference, the United Arab Emirates sent 290 government-sponsored patients in 2024 and concluded PAs with 12 Korean hospitals, including Asan Medical Center.
In addition, both sides agreed to establish a paid training framework for Qatari healthcare professionals in Korea and to include measures to promote the participation of Korean healthcare professionals in Qatar―such as upgrading Korea’s physician-license classification* and simplifying documentation requirements―as part of their cooperation initiatives.
* For Korean physicians seeking licensure in Qatar, the current requirement is to pass a qualification exam (Tier 2). The proposed upgrade to Tier 1 would exempt them from the exam. (For reference, the United Arab Emirates upgraded Korea to Tier 1 in March 2025.)
Furthermore, to expand and advance Korea’s strengths in AI-enabled healthcare, smart hospitals, and innovative new drugs, the two countries agreed to strengthen personnel exchanges, hospital participation, joint research, and investment to support the growth of advanced digital healthcare in Qatar.
The Joint Steering Committee outcomes establish the framework and roadmap for Korea–Qatar cooperation projects. They are expected to broaden collaboration in AI and digital fields, where Korea holds a competitive edge, and to further facilitate the introduction of Korea’s advanced medical technologies into the Middle East. To implement the agreed cooperation, the two sides will form a working-level task force and develop a two-year Action Plan (first phase: 2026–2027).
During the visit to Qatar, the delegation also visited the Korean Medical Center (KMC) operating in Qatar to encourage the Korean professionals working locally and to discuss government support measures.
Vice Minister Lee stated, “With the Korean Wave gaining traction in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are emerging as key strategic partners for expanding K-healthcare in the region. Through bilateral meetings with the Saudi Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education and the Joint Steering Committee with Qatar, we have created an important opportunity to promote the entry of Korea’s AI and digital healthcare technologies and medical professionals into the Middle East. We will continue to make cooperation in the health and medical sectors with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Middle Eastern countries more practical and far-reaching.”
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