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Participants in the K-Pharma Academy, a pharmaceuticals and medical knowledge-sharing program between the Korean government and governments in Central and South America, inspect some medical devices at the Wonju Medical Industry Techno Valley in Gangwon-do Province on April 19.

The Korean government has shared the nation’s knowledge of and experience in pharmaceuticals and medicine with governments in Central and South America.

The joint program to expand partnerships in the medicine and pharmaceutical sectors, the K-Pharma Academy, ran from April 16 to 23, announced the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Twelve inspectors and administrators of medical products and devices from eight Latin American countries — Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama — attended the program.

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Program participants attend a lecture about Korea’s inspection system for drugs and medical devices, at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on April 18.

Lectures and site visits during the program offered participants an opportunity to learn about Korea’s medical services, national insurance system, and inspection systems for drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. This helped them gain a comprehensive understanding of the Korean government’s medical policies and its underlying medical industry. The participants spoke with Korean companies about the medical and pharmaceutical markets back in their own countries. They provided information and advice to Korean pharmaceutical and medical device companies about Latin American markets as they sought further partnerships.

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Inspectors and administrators who work on medical products and regulations visit the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul on April 21. They’re in Korea as part of a program aimed at building medical industry partnerships between Korean and Latin American governments and companies.

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On April 22, participants from Panama discuss with Korean companies the medical market in Panama. The talks were part of a medical knowledge-sharing program between Korean and Latin American governments.

The visitors had tours of government agencies, such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the National Health Insurance Service, and of pharmaceutical and medical companies, including the Wonju Medical Industry Techno Valley and the biopharmaceutical company Celltrion.

Launched in 2013, as of last year, 53 inspectors and administrators from Latin American governments have participated in this annual program. This year, the governments of Uruguay, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama joined the program for the first time.

By Chang Iou-chung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Health and Welfare
icchang@korea.kr