Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital

A closing ceremony was held at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital on June 18, 2008, for twenty Iraqi medical staff who came from Imam-Ali Hospital in Al-Sard, Northeast of Baghdad. The Iraqi delegation was composed of 3 doctors, 8 nurses, 4 medical technicians, 3 physiotherapists and 2 administrative staff. They successfully completed 'A Training Course on Burn Center Management' which was organized by Hallym University Medical Center (HUMC). The course lasted for two weeks from June 6 to June18. HUMC was designated as a Project Management Consultant (PMC) by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) last year, and the first twelve medical staff from same hospital joined this training program late last year.

There is a growing need for emergency treatment of burn patients in Bagdad because of war and terrors such as car bombings. Due to the lack of medical facilities, the KOICA has decided to establish a burn center with medical facilities in the Imam-Ali Hospital.

Dr. Byung-Chul Lee, president of Hallym University Scared Heart Hospital, appreciated the efforts of HUMC staff by saying, "I would like to offer my gratitude to the Hallym faculty and administrative staff who gave time and effort unsparingly to make these programs so successful."

He also noted, "We hope that Imam-Ali Hospital could be the best hospital in Burn patient treatment in Iraq. Moreover, if it is operated properly, it plays a key role in reconstructing Baghdad beyond Al-Sard. For successful hospital management, I want to stress that it would be essential to cooperate your team members and exchange knowledge with other staff in the hospital."

"I wish that this program could set a milestone for continuously deepening and expanding cooperation not only between Hallym and Imam-Ali but also Korea and Iraq," Lee added.

By Seung-Kyu Oh, Int'l Operations Team, HUMC