First Korean company to implement digital healthcare solutions for 10 hospitals in Almaty and Aktobe regions
Systematic management of patient diagnostic data is possible through a digital healthcare platform.

KT announced on the 26th that it held an opening ceremony for the Kazakhstan-Korea digital healthcare cooperation project at the Aktobe Medical Center in Kazakhstan together with Pusan National University Hospital and Busan Technopark.

KT has completed the installation of digital healthcare solution devices and user training at 10 hospitals in Almaty, Aktobe, and East Kazakhstan, and has been conducting patient diagnoses based on digital healthcare solutions at these hospitals since September.

KT's digital healthcare solution is a mobile diagnostic solution (urine test, ultrasound, and blood test diagnostic device) capable of rapidly diagnosing diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (angina, myocardial infarction), respiratory diseases, diabetes, and prostate cancer using small amounts of blood and urine. It is expected that building a healthcare platform together with KT's digital healthcare solution will improve the quality of medical infrastructure in hospitals in Kazakhstan and make a significant contribution to the early diagnosis and timely treatment of diseases.

The advantage of KT's digital healthcare platform is that it is a Mobile Electronic Medical Record (Mobile EMR) that links with various types of diagnostic devices, allowing users to check patient information regardless of time or location or configure patient charts to suit the hospital environment. It is expected to lead the digital healthcare paradigm in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by being developed as an open platform that facilitates easy integration of new devices and makes business expansion easier through the use of standard medical data formats.

KT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with major hospitals and government agencies in Kazakhstan in September 2016 to promote a digital healthcare pilot project and has been preparing for the project. In July 2017, together with Pusan National University Hospital and Busan Technopark, it was selected as the operator for the 'ICT-based Medical System Entry Project - Kazakhstan Digital Healthcare Entry Project' commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, becoming the first Korean company to proceed with the project. In addition, the company is actively working to lay the groundwork for expansion into CIS countries, including recently signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Russian Far East Investment Agency to promote digital healthcare business.

KT will conduct international medical collaboration with Pusan National University Hospital by establishing a remote medical consultation system at two hub hospitals (Alfarabi KazNU Medical Center and Aktobe Medical Center) based on digital healthcare solutions and platforms installed in regional hospitals in Kazakhstan.

“This project in Kazakhstan is an opportunity to practically verify the significance of the digital healthcare business,” said Ko Yun-jeon, Head of Future Business Development at KT. “Based on KT’s ICT capabilities, we will expand our platform-based digital healthcare business and strengthen business models, such as big data/AI-based disease prediction solutions, to further expand our market presence.”

Park Ik-min, Director of the Institute of Convergence Medical Technology at Pusan National University Hospital, said, “The establishment of a healthcare platform in Kazakhstan, which has the ninth largest territory in the world, will be a groundbreaking turning point in improving the medical environment where screening facilities are severely lacking. Furthermore, securing big data for remote consultations with Pusan National University Hospital is expected to have the effect of lowering Kazakhstan’s high infant mortality rate.”

Aktobe Governor Berdbek Safarbayevich stated, "Korea's digital healthcare has been of great help in improving the health of the people of Kazakhstan, and we will build a continuous cooperative relationship and provide active support in the future."