Germany’s eastern state of Saxony is looking to South Korea for ways to address an ageing population and a shortage of health care workers through digitalization and modern technology.
Saxony Health Minister Petra Köpping began a visit to Seoul on Sunday alongside a delegation of health care, nursing and political representatives. She is set to spend the next four days in South Korea to examine technologies that could be adapted for use at home in Saxony.
“Our goal is to gain insights into South Korea’s health care system and identify approaches that are likely to be transferable to Saxony,” Köpping said. The proportion of people aged over 65 is set to continue rising in Saxony, along with the rest of Germany, in the coming years, while staff shortages remain a major challenge.
South Korea faces similar demographic pressures and has invested heavily in digital health care.
Köpping’s delegation is visiting hospitals and care facilities as well as the K-Hospital + Healthtech Fair, where technologies including digital hospitals, robotics, medical informatics and cybersecurity are on display.
At Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, the delegation will see how 77 service robots are used for logistics, disinfection and nursing-related tasks, according to the ministry. The hospital has also operated a digital control centre to monitor patients since 2019.
The Samsung Medical Center, known for its “smart hospital” model, is also on the itinerary. Paperless processes, automated logistics and robotic assistance are used to reduce the workload on medical staff.
Köpping said digitalization was essential to creating a modern, efficient and sustainable health care system in Saxony. The delegation is also holding talks with industry groups, institutions and companies to explore potential future projects and business partnerships.
Source: dpa
