Egypt and South Korea have taken major steps to strengthen their healthcare partnership. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population, met with South Korea’s Ambassador to Egypt, Kim Yonghyon, to discuss cooperation in healthcare, human resource development, and biomedical investments.
One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the launch of a $9 million grant project to improve emergency medical services in Upper Egypt, particularly in the Nag Hammady and Luxor regions. This initiative complements South Korea’s ongoing railway signal modernization projects in the area, including the Nag Hammady–Luxor Corridor Signaling System Modernization Project, which began in 2021, and the upcoming Luxor–High Dam Corridor project. The healthcare project will focus on enhancing emergency response capabilities for railway-related accidents and other medical emergencies.
Starting next year, the project will introduce mobile clinics, upgrade emergency rooms, provide advanced medical equipment, and train emergency medical staff. These efforts aim to improve healthcare access and strengthen emergency response systems, especially in rural areas.
Ambassador Kim also highlighted the Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program, named after the former Director-General of the World Health Organization. He invited Egyptian healthcare professionals to join the program, which has trained over 1,500 professionals from 30 countries since 2007. This year, Egypt will participate for the first time, with a focus on infectious disease response and health policy leadership.
In another significant development, Ambassador Kim announced a joint $10 million investment by South Korea’s ChoonAng Vaccine Lab (CAVAC) and Egypt’s Global Pharmaceutical Industries (GPI) to build a poultry vaccine production facility in Al-Sadat City’s Industrial Polaris Area. The facility, expected to open by June, will operate under an OEM model and contribute to Egypt’s export market.
Ambassador Kim also invited Deputy Prime Minister Ghaffar to a reception on April 13, celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations between Egypt and South Korea. The event will include an economic conference to discuss biomedical and healthcare cooperation, highlighting Egypt’s growing role as a medical hub in the Middle East and Africa.
To further boost healthcare collaboration, KOTRA’s Egypt office is organizing a Korean Biomedical Business Delegation visit in September. The delegation will hold B2B meetings with Egyptian companies to explore investment opportunities and expand partnerships. Ambassador Kim also proposed B2G discussions with Egypt’s Ministry of Health, including a policy seminar on key healthcare initiatives.
Deputy Prime Minister Ghaffar welcomed these initiatives and reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to deepening cooperation with South Korea. Both sides also explored potential collaboration in health insurance policy development to support Egypt’s Universal Health Coverage goals.
These new projects mark a significant step forward in addressing healthcare challenges in Egypt while strengthening ties between the two nations. With these efforts, Egypt aims to enhance its emergency medical services, expand its biomedical sector, and solidify its position as a regional leader in healthcare innovation.