▶ GC Labs conducted virtual online training for 20 Ukrainian Doctors and laboratory technicians for 1st~2nd week in October
▶ The program continues from 2023 to 2025 including Korea invitational training in 2024 under the entrustment of KOICA
GC Labs (President Lee Eun Hee, M.D., Ph.D., MBA) announced on the 18th that it held the completion ceremony of KOICA Fellowship Program ‘The Capacity Building for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacteria Infection in Ukraine (Online training)' on the 13th.
GC Labs has been actively promoting Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects for developing countries since 2021. In order to strengthen the capacity of healthcare personnel in developing countries, GC Labs has been expanding its international cooperation activities by commissioning Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH)'s 'Dr LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program Training Course for Infectious Specialists (TB)' project in 2021 and 2022, the 'Consulting on Capacity Building for screening of cervical cancer and Human Papillomavirus in the Republic of Uzbekistan' project in 2022, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)’s Fellowship Program in 2023.
Total 20 Ukrainian trainees attended the completion ceremony to celebrate the successful completion of the online training course, which was held from October 2 to 13. The trainees, who have an average of 10-15 years of experience in TB diagnosis and treatment, are physicians and laboratory technicians from national medical universities, research institutes, and specialized TB dispensaries in five regions of Ukraine. The trainees spent first two weeks in October learning about the theory and clinical applications of TB testing and the latest diagnostic technologies through recorded videos and online live seminars.
The KOICA Fellowship Program is part of the Korean government's international development cooperation program for developing countries and aims to develop human resources through the transfer of Korea's development experience and technological know-how in public sectors. The Fellowship Program is developed upon the request of partner country governments and is organized by KOICA, the Korea International Cooperation Agency. From 1991 to 2022, KOICA Fellowship Program has 96,096 graduates, contributing to fostering mutual understanding and building amicable partnership between Korea and developing countries.
‘The Capacity Building for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacteria Infection in Ukraine (’23-’25)’, which is being operated by GC Labs, will be held for three years from 2023 to 2025 as part of the KOICA Fellowship Program. The program aims to improve the quality of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Tuberculosis and NTM infections in Ukraine to improve public health and contribute to the global fight against Tuberculosis. In 2023, an online training program for 20 participants was organized in consideration of local conditions in Ukraine, and in 2024, the same number of participants will be invited to Korea for the invitational training.
In his congratulatory remarks at the completion ceremony, Dr. Kyu-taeg Lee, Head of External Affairs at the GC Labs, said, "I truly admire your contributions to promoting national healthcare service empowerment in TB diagnosis and treatment in Ukraine, with expressing sincere gratitude to KOICA and Kharkiv National Medical University for creating this opportunity to interact with excellent healthcare professionals,” and, "We hope to continue our interaction with the trainees through this training program, and GC Labs will continue our efforts to eliminate global infectious diseases based on our diagnostic testing capabilities and experience accumulated over the past 40 years," he said.
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the GC Labs and KOICA for organizing the training program," said Prof. Dmytro Butov (Kharkiv National Medical University, Doctor), a representative of the trainees. "It was truly informative opportunity for me to learn the latest information about Korea's TB control policies and diagnostic testing technologies. I hope to continue our cooperation with GC Labs and KOICA in the future, including next year's invitational program in Korea, for mutual development and contribution to the global fight against TB."