Hanyang University Hospital Shares Advanced Infectious Disease Response Know-How to Healthcare Professionals in Indonesia

Hanyang University Medical Center (President Yoon Ho-joo) shared their advanced know-how in dealing with infectious diseases with the University of Lampung Faculty of Medicine in Indonesia as part of an Asian Development Bank (ADB) program from October 3 to 8, 2022. 

In this program, a team led by Professor Kim Bong-young and Professor Oh Jae-hoon from Hanyang University Medical Center analyzed and upgraded the curriculum pertaining to infectious diseases at the University of Lampung Faculty of Medicine, in addition to developing e-Learning content that can be referred to when providing training on how to respond to new infectious diseases. 

“Infectious diseases are always around us, and new diseases could be emerging anywhere, even at this very moment, so it is essential to prepare for such crises in the future. We will do our best to contribute to improving the infectious disease curriculum at medical schools in Indonesia through this project,” said Dr. Kim Bong-young, Professor of Infectious Diseases. 

Brajesh Panth, Chief of Education Sector at the ADB, said, “There is a growing need to train excellent healthcare professionals in developing countries post-COVID-19. This program will be an opportunity to share the exemplary education programs of Korean universities with other countries in Asia, and I hope that cooperation between Korean universities and those in developing countries will be further consolidated and broadened through ADB programs in the future.”

Five representatives of the University of Lampung Faculty of Medicine visited Hanyang University Hospital on October 3 and had a meeting with faculty. From then until October 8, they participated in a number of programs such as the Infectious Disease Curriculum Development Workshop, a tour of the Regional Emergency Medical Center of Hanyang University Medical Center, Infectious Disease Patient Handling Strategy Training, and a visit to the Medical Education and Simulation Center for Hanyang University College of Medicine (MESH). 

Medical staff from Hanyang University Medical Center imparted their capabilities to deal with infectious diseases that had been gained while working in the COVID-19 treatment ward and the Regional Emergency Medical Center, as well as training expertise built on the latest clinical practices and technologies. Further, they hosted three workshops in Indonesia with the aim of contributing to the eradication of infectious diseases and the advancement of the local healthcare system. 

“This training program was meaningful in that faculty from various medical schools in Korea, including Hanyang University, participated in a program carried out by an international organization to strengthen the educational capabilities of medical educational institutions in developing countries, thereby contributing to improving the response to global infectious disease crises,” said Yoon Ho-joo, President of Hanyang University Medical Center, who then added, “This means that the international status of medical education in Korea has risen that much, and we will continue striving to contribute to the development of medical education in developing countries by actively participating in such joint programs with international organizations.”

The program organized under the theme of “Development of Infectious Diseases Curriculum for Medical Schools in Developing Countries,” is supported by E-Asia Fund, a Korean government trust fund within the Asian Development Bank, and it is carried out with the participation of faculty members from Hanyang University, Korea University, and Chungnam National University.