Treatment Reaches 400,000 Underserved Patients in Africa
Ko Young-cho, Director of Yosep Clinic, Receives Medical Volunteer Award
Im Hyun-seok Director of Bethesda Medical Center (age 59) has been selected as the grand prize winner of the 36th Asan Award. Director Im has dedicated 24 years to medical volunteer work in Uganda, Africa.
The Asan Social Welfare Foundation held the Asan Award ceremony on the 25th at the Asan Life Science Research Institute in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and presented Director Im with the grand prize and a prize money of 300 million KRW.
Im, a pediatric specialist, left for Uganda with his wife, a classmate from Kyungpook National University College of Medicine, and their two young children, and opened the Bethesda Clinic in the capital Kampala in 2002. The hospital started with five staff members, but currently employs 37 people, including 12 Korean specialist doctors.
The hospital charges general patients 30 to 50% of the cost of local private hospitals. The poor and disabled receive free treatment. This is possible because there are no labor costs due to medical volunteer work by Korean specialists. As a result, the number of marginalized African patients treated by him and the medical staff has reached 400,000.
The Medical Volunteer Award and prize money of 200 million KRW went to Ko Young-cho, director of Yosep Clinic (age 71), who has provided medical volunteer work for 51 years, caring for about 30,000 patients including residents of shantytowns, homeless people, and migrant worker patients.
The international development NGO Global Sharing Movement (Chairman Kim Hye-kyung), which has contributed to the self-reliance and capacity building of low-income residents in developing countries for 26 years, received the Social Service Award and prize money of 200 million KRW.
In addition, a total of 1 billion KRW in prize money was awarded to 18 winners (including organizations) in six categories, including the Welfare Practice Award, Volunteer Award, and Filial Piety & Family Award, with each recipient receiving 20 million KRW.
At the ceremony, Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Social Welfare Foundation, said, "It is the responsibility and duty of all of us to help marginalized members of our society live as healthy members."
The Asan Award was established in 1989 to encourage individuals or organizations who have dedicated themselves to helping neighbors in need or practicing filial piety.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
