On November 25-29, 2019 a Belarussian team chaired by the Minister of Health Mr. Uladzimir Karanik and the 1st Deputy Minister of Finance Mr. Yuri Seliverstov visited Korea with the support of the Korea World Bank Group Partnership Facility (KWPF). The KWPF is supporting pilot implementation of diagnosis-related groups (DRG) in 10 hospitals in Belarus and the visit was aimed at laying the groundwork for the strengthening of purchasing function in Belarus through knowledge and experience exchange with Korean partners.
The program is based on cooperation with the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) and academia. The visit included high-level meetings with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Korea and visits to the health facilities of Korea (Ilsan Hospital and Health Promotion Center) considered highly relevant for Belarus as they learn from the Korean experience in the improvement of health financing mechanisms.
During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding between the NHIS and the Ministry of Health of Belarus was signed to further expand collaboration between the countries in the area of health modernization and financing.
Belarusian colleagues were keen to learn about Korean technologies in health and applied innovations: during the visit to the Health Promotion Center, the Korean specialists measured the levels of stress and physical condition of the Ministers and provided recommendations, includieng group physical exercise to improve the health of high level officials. Partners also discussed the potential use of Korean technologies for the modernization of health service delivery in Belarus and other knowledge exchange opportunities.
The Bank team (Olena Doroshenko, Elvira Anadolu, and Veranika Adamchuk) appreciates the support and facilitation provided to the visit by the team from the NHIS and other Korean institutions.
