Under the so-called “Medical System Twinning” project, Korea will make a comprehensive export of its medical service systems to Saudi Arabia. The health ministers of the two countries met on April 9, 2013, and signed the medical system twinning agreement, under which major Korean hospitals will establish specialized medical facilities in Saudi Arabia and transfer their hospital management expertise as well as medical technologies and research tools to Saudi’s medical staff and personnel.
Through this project, Korea will act as a strategic partner for the implementation of Saudi’s 10-year plan to improve its medical service infrastructure. This project is will mark a turning point in Korea’s standing and reputation in the international medical community as Korean hospitals are transferring their advanced medical technologies and know-how to the Middle East country and conducting the training of Saudi’s medical staff. The twinning project plans to construct not only world-class specialty hospitals with capacity of approximately 400 beds each, but also advanced medical research institutes, in four different cities across Saudi Arabia.
Specifically, under the twinning program, major Korean medical institutions and research centers will establish specialized medical facilities (e.g., cardiovascular clinical research center, brain imaging technique center, neuroscience research center, radiation therapy center and stem cell research center) at King Fahad Medical City (“KFMC”), a state-run medical institution located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi medical staff of KFMC will receive education and training in the subject specialty medical service areas and the Korean partner hospitals and research centers will also transfer their hospital/lab operation and management expertise to their Saudi counterparts. Earlier this year, Lee & Ko was invited to participate in this historical project by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (“KHIDI”) -- the government-designated coordinator for the Saudi twinning project -- and has since successfully represented KHIDI. As KHIDI’s counsel, Lee & Ko prepared and negotiated contractual documents for this project, and also reviewed the project proposals of the participating Korean medical institutions. For years, Lee & Ko has been providing legal services to Korean and foreign medical institutions in connection with cross-border investment in the medical services field.