The World On arirang

The Minnesota project was like sunshine after rain to Korea when it was left in ruins by the Korean War. There were no basic daily necessities, let alone proper healthcare facilities. It was then that the University of Minnesota invited 226 Korean college professors including those from the Medical School of Seoul National University to receive training. Professors at the University of Minnesota provided all-out support to help Korea improve its healthcare system. Now, more than 60 years later, it is Korea's turn to help doctors from developing countries where medical skills and the quality of healthcare leave much to be desired.

There is a reason doctors from many countries choose to receive medical training in Korea, even though other countries also provide similar programs. The dedicated efforts of Korean medical workers and their ingenious medical skills such as laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy are recognized globally. Robotic operations using state-of-the-art technologies draw more than one thousand doctors from all over the world, including those from industrialized countries, to receive training in Korea.

Doctors and nurses from Myanmar, Cambodia, Mozambique and Laos visit Korea for the same purpose: to receive training at university hospitals in Korea. They are bound by their duty to improve healthcare systems in their home countries. It may be their first time trying their hand at laparoscopy and using defibrillators, but their commitment to treating patients and saving lives is as strong as that of Korean doctors. They hope that someday their countries will also be able to help other countries. The Minnesota project in Korea shows that medical skills have value only when they are shared with others.