The Korea University Medical Center_{고려대의료원} has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Republican Specialized Scientific Practical Medical Center of Endocrinology in Uzbekistan, the Korean hospital said Thursday.

The purpose of this agreement is to strengthen mutual capacity through expansion of human and academic exchanges in clinical, research and education fields and to secure cooperating institutions to enter the Uzbekistan healthcare market, it added.

Attending the signing ceremony were government and business officials from the two countries, including Vice Chancellor Kim Hyo-myung_김효명 of Korea University Medical Center, Alimov Anvar Valievich, the new head of the Uzbek center and former minister of health, Sharipov Alisher of the Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute, and Lee Sang-yun_이상윤, director of the Uzbekistan branch of the Asia Medical Institute_{아시아의학연구소}.

"As the international status of the Korean health and medical institutions has increased recently, they have actively exported medical system export and trained foreign medical staff while attracting foreign patients to Korea," Vice-Chancellor Kim said.

At this point, the signing of an agreement with Uzbek’s National Endocrine Medical Center, which has the highest authority in the field of endocrine research in the country, will be a good opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of the two institutions in the future, Kim added.

Alimov Anvar Valievich also expressed high expectations for the project.

"Korea has the medical skills to be an example for Uzbekistan," he said. "Through this MOU, we hope that Uzbekistan's medical care will be further developed and that more people of Uzbekistan will be able to benefit from it."