Egypt-Korea Probe Upgrading Medical & Pharmaceutical Co-op

On Thursday, Korean Ambassador to Egypt Hong Jin Wook met with Dr. Tamer Essam, Chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority EDA, to discuss ways for boosting medical and pharmaceutical cooperation.

In the meeting, Hong lauded the EDA role in securing Egypt’s needs of medical supplies, especially with the encountered challenges due to the global pandemic.

Ambassador Hong stressed that the health sector is one of the important facets for the two countries’ cooperation, which can be further strengthened especially with the designation of Egypt as a priority country for Official Development Assistance ODA for the coming 5 years.

He also expressed interest of the Korean companies operating in the medical industry domain to enter the Egyptian market, given Egypt’s plan to be a regional hub for medical and pharmaceutical supplies to the region.

The Korean diplomat highlighted the importance of cooperation with the EDA in facilitating the access of Korean companies to the Egyptian market, which will help transfer the know-how and Korea’s advanced technologies in the medical field.

The Ambassador pointed to the briefing session planned on September 27 to introduce the potentials of the Egyptian medical and pharmaceutical market to Korean companies with possible participation from H.E. Minister Hala Zayed and around 50 Korean companies. Ambassador Hong extended the invitation to the Chairman for participating in the event and briefing on the Egyptian medical and health-related regulations and policies, which will help promote better understanding for Korean companies on the Egyptian medical sector.

On his part, Dr. Essam thanked Ambassador Hong for his efforts to strengthen the bilateral medical cooperation, affirming the role of the EDA in facilitating the Korean companies’ access and presence in the Egyptian market through joint ventures and localization of strategic industries. He expressed his keenness to cooperate closely with the Embassy to further enhance the medical and health cooperation between the two countries.