The Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) held the “Health ODA Achievement Sharing Session” on November 26 at the Dr LEE Jong-wook Hall of KOFIH. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and organized by KOFIH as part of the 2025 Development Cooperation Week (November 24–28).

The session was designed to share KOFIH’s achievements over the past 19 years and to explore future directions ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2026. In particular, with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (KOFIH) having received an “A grade” in the government’s ODA Implementing Agency Capacity Assessment this year, the event focused on sharing tangible project outcomes and accumulated operational expertise.

[Sharing Key Health ODA Project Achievements]

During the event, end-of-project evaluation results of major sectoral projects were presented, including ▲primary healthcare (Ghana), ▲hospital management consulting (Mozambique, Uzbekistan), and ▲infectious disease response (Ethiopia, Lao PDR).

In the hospital management consulting sector, notable achievements were highlighted, such as the Uzbekistan National Children’s Hospital obtaining “Joint Commission International (JCI)“ accreditation, the institutionalization of a “Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (QPS)” system, and a reduction in in-hospital mortality rates. These outcomes were recognized as exemplary cases that went beyond simple facility and equipment support, leading to structural improvements across overall hospital management systems.

In the area of infectious disease response, strategic project outcomes aligned with national health policies were shared, including the establishment of a diagnostic self-reliance framework in Lao PDR and the full-cycle functionalization of tuberculosis management in Ethiopia.

In addition, the maternal and child health project in Ghana demonstrated the potential for institutionalization of project outcomes by achieving “zero maternal deaths” in specific regions through 12 years of sustained cooperation.

The subsequent panel discussion, themed “The Reality and Challenges of Evaluating Global Health Projects,” brought together academic and field experts from the Korean Society of Global Health. The panel proposed directions for strengthening the effectiveness of health ODA projects, including improvements to performance management systems.

KOFIH President Il-Soo Ha stated, “Building on the experience accumulated over the past 19 years, we will establish a management system in which field-level achievements are fed back into policy,” adding, “We will use our 20th anniversary next year as a springboard to develop practical and sustainable models of global health cooperation.”

Jun-ho Choi, Director-General for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, also remarked, “This achievement-sharing session serves as an opportunity to review the outcomes of health ODA projects and to explore directions for more effective global health cooperation going forward.”

Following this occasion, KOFIH plans to move beyond a support-centered approach and further strengthen a performance-based project management system, while continuing efforts to cultivate professional human resources to lead the global health and healthcare sector.