보건복지부 영문홈페이지

“Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program KGA

General Assembly Commemorative Forum” 

in Commemoration of Korea-Africa Summit

- Since 2007, the program has been completed by 622 African trainees:

a symbol of Korea-Africa healthcare cooperation -

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, Minister Cho KyooHong) and the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH, President Ha Il-soo) held the “Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program KGA General Assembly Commemorative Forum” (hereinafter referred to as the “Seoul Assembly Commemorative Forum”) at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5, at the M Gallery in Hotel Naru in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

This Seoul Assembly Commemorative Forum, an official side event of the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, gathered 88 alumni and trainees* of the Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program, along with about 150 distinguished guests, including MOHW Minister Cho KyooHong, KOFIH President Ha Il-soo, Dr. Stephen Amoah, Deputy Minister of Finance of Ghana, and Dr. Ellen Mkondya Senkoro, Chairperson of the Board of Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania.

* 20 alumni from Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Africa and 68 fellowship trainees (37 from Africa, 31 from Asia)

At the Forum, the impact of the Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program on African healthcare and its future development strategies were discussed referring to the real case studies. Based on the outcome, participants explored ways to enhance healthcare cooperation between Korea and Africa.

The Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program, a capacity building initiative to foster healthcare workforce in developing countries was launched in 2007 to honor the legacy of the late Dr. Lee Jong-wook, the 6th Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the first Korean to lead an international organization. It has been completed by a total of 1,500 trainees* from 30 countries by 2023.

* (No’ of trainees by continent) Asia: 870 (58.0%), Africa: 622 (41.5%), Latin America: 8 (0.5%)

MOHW Minister Cho KyooHong remarked in his welcoming address, “The Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program, which started in 2007, has been completed by 1,500 trainees, creating a virtuous cycle where trainees return to their home countries and educate and foster others.”

Minister Cho also stated, “I hope today’s Forum serves as an opportunity to further develop the Program. The Korean government will continue to provide diverse supports to ensure that the close ties with Africa can be consistently strengthened.” ///