Health authorities of Korea, China and Japan agreed to use artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology to improve access to essential care and to strengthen cooperation on mental health and suicide prevention.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it held the 18th Korea-China-Japan Health Ministers' Meeting at Conrad Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, on the 13th-14th and adopted a joint statement. Cooperation will focus on three main areas: universal health coverage (UHC), healthy aging and mental health.
This year's meeting was chaired by Minister Jung Eun-kyeong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with Japan represented by Minister Ueno Kenichiro of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and China represented by Peng Yong, director general of international cooperation at the National Health Commission, as chief delegates.
The three delegations shared experiences in operating their countries' health care policies and systems and discussed ways to cooperate on common challenges. In particular, they agreed to work together to enhance equity and access to essential medical services by using AI and digital technology.
They also agreed to share examples of technology use to strengthen Digital Healthcare capabilities and to explore application plans suited to each country's medical infrastructure and institutional conditions.
To respond to rapid aging, they will support the establishment of an integrated care system that links health care and long-term care from a life-course perspective, and continue policy cooperation for healthy aging.
In the field of mental health, they identified suicide prevention as a core public health task and set as top priorities the establishment of life-cycle prevention strategies, early identification of high-risk groups and the creation of a rapid intervention system. In this process, they also plan to expand the use of digital technology, including AI-based prediction and diagnosis.
During the meeting, Minister Jung held separate talks with the Chinese and Japanese delegations and with the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) delegation. In particular, with WPRO, the sides signed the second Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) between Korea and WPRO and agreed to continue strategic cooperation to strengthen health capacities in the Western Pacific region.
Minister Jung said, "We will continue to actively pursue international cooperation to promote health in the Western Pacific region, including the three countries."