By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Aug. 13, GNA- The Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) and The Bank Hospital have signed a Medical Service Agreement (MSA) aimed at improving healthcare access for Korean nationals living in Ghana.
The agreement is expected to facilitate access to quality healthcare services for about 500 Koreans resident in Ghana, while strengthening healthcare cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the signing ceremony in Accra, Ms Anne-Rita Solano, Business Development Consultant at The Bank Hospital, said the partnership was a significant endorsement of the hospital’s healthcare standards.
She said the agreement reflected the confidence KOFIH had in The Bank Hospital’s ability to provide quality healthcare services to members of the Korean community in Ghana.
“It means a lot, actually. It means trust. Having the Korean Foundation, which specialises in health, bring all Korean nationals to our hospital means a great deal because Korea is very well known for its advanced health sector,” she said.
Ms Solano indicated that under the agreement, Korean nationals and their families would have access to the hospital’s various medical services, including outpatient consultations, emergency care, specialist treatment and surgical procedures.
Beyond immediate healthcare services, she expressed optimism about future collaboration in specialist medical fields, particularly cosmetic medicine and plastic surgery.
“Korea is very well known for cosmetology and plastic surgery. This is something that Ghana and West Africa would definitely benefit from,” she said.
Ms Solano said The Bank Hospital hoped to leverage the partnership to position itself as a centre of excellence in plastic surgery and cosmetology in West Africa through collaboration with Korean specialists.
For her part, Ms Mirabel Asante-Sefa, Project Coordinator at KOFIH, said the agreement was designed to address challenges Koreans in Ghana often faced in accessing healthcare services.
“There are about 500 Korean nationals in Ghana, and seeking healthcare can sometimes be a challenge. Normally, we sign medical services agreements with healthcare facilities so that we can ease access to healthcare for Koreans living in Ghana,” she said.
She noted that The Bank Hospital was one of the leading healthcare facilities in Accra and commended its management for embracing the partnership.
“When we reached out to them, their business development team was very forthcoming, compared to some of the places we had approached. It was therefore easy to come to The Bank Hospital and sign this agreement,” she stated.
Ms Asante-Sefa said the partnership could also serve as a platform for broader healthcare cooperation between Ghana and South Korea, including possible humanitarian medical activities and specialist exchanges in the future.
She revealed that the agreement would create opportunities for healthcare professionals at The Bank Hospital to participate in the Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Programme, a KOFIH initiative that offers short-term training and professional development opportunities in South Korea.
“Because we have signed an MSA with The Bank Hospital, their staff will now be eligible to go to Korea for short courses and skills improvement programmes,” she said.
The Project Coordinator further noted that language and communication barriers, which sometimes hinder access to healthcare services for expatriates, would be addressed under the arrangement.
As part of the agreement, The Bank Hospital would designate a focal person to serve as a liaison between the hospital and Korean patients to facilitate smooth access to healthcare services.
GNA
Reporter: Jibril Abdul Mumuni
[email protected]
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong
