On 13th of November, CityNet Indonesian National Chapter Delegation visited Seoul for a study visit on healthy cities and hospital management. The delegation comprised 29 city officials and specialists from public health departments and medical institutions from nine different cities.
The Assistant Secretary General, Mr. Kang Pil Young welcomed the delegation at the Seoul Global Center where the CityNet Secretariat is located, which was then followed by a speech by Dr. Meiliana, Hj., SE., MM. (Regional Secretary, Local Government of East Kalimantan Province) on behalf of the delegation expressing their gratitudeto Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) for receiving them and sharing the knowledge in the public health sector and hospital management.
A lecture on healthy cities was delivered by Dr. Changwoo Shon (Associate Research Fellow, Department of Urban Society Research, Seoul Institute) particularly focusing on the guidelines for the Urban Design for Healthy Cities. The study visit did not only consist of classroom-based activity but also site visit to to three places: Seoul Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), Seoul Medical Center (SMC), Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine in Gangnam-gu (district).
The study visit to Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine was conducted with a full support of Gangnam-gu Office, SMG. The Gangnam-gu Office has been actively promoting the medical service and medical tourism.
Assistant Secretary General, Mr. Kang Pil Young stated that “CityNet is going to consistently support city-to-city cooperation for the establishment of healthy cities in Asia-pacific region and increasing the capacity of human resources in public health sector.”
In his lecture, Dr. Shon raised a need of change in public health policy mentioning phenomena that threaten the sustainability of healthy cities such as aging society and health inequality.
One of the delegation members, Dr. Leo Prawirodiharjo – OB-GYN specialist who is the Director of Mother & Child Hospital of Siti Fatimah, Makassar City – mentioned that he is very pleased to experience healthy city aspect of Seoul. He added that he was inspired by SMG that has built policies on healthy cities and the management of medical institutions aligning with the policies.
During the hospital visits, the delegation was able to get a spectrum of knowledge about medical and administrative service of both Korean and Western hospitals, as well as the management system of emergency center and isolation units. They showed high interests on Health Promotion Center and Isolation Units in SMC.
The visit was conducted as an extension of partnership between CityNet Indonesian National Chapter and SMG. In 2016, a similar study visit was conducted by Sidoarjo Regency’s Public Hospital, one of CityNet members in Indonesia to Seoul Metropolitan Government – Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, which was then followed up with the partnership establishment in the field of medical education, healthcare and hospital managementthrough a MoU signed by the two hospitals.
