The Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) participated in the "2026 KDRT Medical Team Mobile Clinic Deployment Training," held from April 22 to 24, 2026, at the JEI Jaeneung Education and Training Center in Cheonan.

A total of 30 KDRT civilian members affiliated with KOFIH took part in the training, comprising 17 medical personnel — including physicians, nurses, radiogical technologists, and emergency medical technicians — along with 10 administrative, technical, and logistics specialists, and 3 KDRT coordinators.

■ What is KDRT? 

The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) is a government-level emergency relief team rapidly deployed to disaster-affected countries to help reduce damage, support recovery, rescue survivors, and provide medical relief.

The KDRT Medical Team was designated as EMT Type 1 (Fixed) in the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Team (EMT) classification assessment in 2022. This internationally recognized classification is granted only to teams capable of operating self-sufficiently with 29 members — without support from the affected country's government — and treating 100 or more outpatients per day for a minimum of 14 consecutive days.

This training was designed as a field-realistic exercise in preparation for the 2027 WHO EMT re-classification assessment. In accordance with the KDRT Medical Team Type 1 (Fixed) standards, all phases of mobile hospital operations were carried out under simulated real-world conditions, from installation and operation through to withdrawal.

Within a training environment designed to reflect the realities of overseas disaster settings, team members had the opportunity to systematically assess and strengthen their field response capabilities.

Director General Jang Seo-ik of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's International Cooperation Division and KOFIH President Ha Il-soo attended the training in person to encourage the team members and to review the mobile hospital operating system and disaster response capabilities.

Additionally, eight trainees from Lao PDR who attend KOFIH’s Dr LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program (Clinical Training Course) — five physicians and three nurses — participated in the exercise. Their activities included △simulated patient roles in the mobile hospital simulation; △experiencing VR-based mobile hospital training content; △taking part in a KDRT medical team tabletop exercise; and △networking with KDRT members. These activities provided the trainees with a deeper understanding of international disaster health systems and an opportunity to develop greater global awareness.

This year holds special significance, as 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of the late Dr. Lee Jong-wook, the 6th Director-General of the WHO. The collaboration between the Dr LEE Jong-wook Fellowship — which has long supported the strengthening of healthcare workforce capacity in developing countries in the spirit of his legacy — and the KDRT Medical Team carries particular meaning in this commemorative year.

KOFIH remains committed to its ongoing efforts to strengthen international disaster response capacity and to nurture global health and medical professionals.