PRESS RELEASE
VIEUX FORT – The St. Jude Hospital has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) to achieve mutual support and cooperation in medical technologies and education, following a Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility-funded study tour in South Korea by the Ministry of Health of Saint Lucia, the St. Jude Hospital and a World Bank delegation on April 24 – 28th.
Technology enablers, business model innovations and value networks are three promising characteristics of the MoU, which highlights the cooperation of the two entities in the areas of:
● Medical technologies
● Personnel training
● Exchange of scientific information; conduct of joint research work
● Other activities in education, research, and medical treatment
“As the St. Jude Hospital prepares to commission the Augier home-site facility, this MoU with SNUBH will strengthen partnerships for the convergence and integration of research, medicine and commercialization for the Hospital and offers HR capacity-building opportunities through observerships and placements for management, physicians, and nurses,” said St. Jude Hospital CEO, Lydia Atkins. “The study tour highlighted the need for deliberate disruptive innovations that develops the best solutions for quality and affordable healthcare that places the patient at the centre of care and leverages the patient experience as the product.”
President and CEO of SNUBH, Song Jeong-han said, “We are committed to working with the World Bank to strengthen health systems, and support the digital transformation in healthcare. Korea’s experience and knowledge in leveraging digital tools to innovate healthcare will help the transition to evidence and value-based healthcare.” Adding, “SNUBH recognizes the importance of the St. Jude Hospital as a leading institution delivering valuable care to the people of Saint Lucia and welcomes the opportunity to develop ties.”
The tour delegation to South Korea also included the Ministry of Health of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Millennium Heights Medical Complex. The MoU will serve as the starting point for cooperation between three countries.
“Hospital operation is a unique challenge for small island states that face many problems, including lack of specialist doctors and nurses, infrastructure deficits, inadequate equipment, and management information systems to run hospitals effectively and efficiently. This study tour, organized by SNUBH, a leading hospital in Korea, showed how streamlined procedures, investments in technology, and robust performance management can improve clinical outcomes and productivity. Through this MoU, the St. Jude hospital will be able to leverage cutting- edge knowledge from its Korean knowledge partner to strengthen its performance to better serve its clients,” said Edit Velenyi, Senior Economist and Task Team Leader, World Bank.
About SNUBH
The Seoul National University Bundang Hospital is a national multispecialty academic medical centre, integrating hospital care with research and education. The organization has developed collaborative networks with international institutions to improve quality and safety in health care globally. They have developed hospital benchmarking programs for medical services, medical ICT, hospital logistics and other aspects of hospital operation systems. The Hospital has developed hospital management and clinical indicators to monitor and track performance.
About KWPF
The Korea- World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF), established in May 2013, is an initiative to strengthen ties between Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF) and the World Bank. The Facility’s overall objective is to assist developing member countries of the World Bank in achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth and to foster broader dialogue on economic development issues.
END
