Kangbuk Samsung Hospital said Monday that it has been designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide remote healthcare consultations to Korean diplomats in foreign missions.

About 4,000 diplomats and their family members at 129 embassies and consulates in countries and areas with low access to medical care will benefit from the service.

The ministry introduced the telehealth project this year, and Kangbuk Samsung will serve as its main institution until March 2022, the hospital said. It plans to provide remote medical consultations using ICT, offer second precise diagnoses, and health consultations from coordinators.

“Diplomats and their families working in places with low access to medical institutes have difficulties due to the poor healthcare environment and high-cost medical systems amid concerns about the Covid-19 infection,” Kangbuk Samsung Hospital President Shin Ho-cheol said. “We will try to keep them safe and protect their health from diseases.”

The hospital has also participated in various health-related projects under the government’s official development assistance (ODA) program in countries like Sri Lanka, Laos, El Salvador, and Mongolia while building an ICT-based medical service support system in Vietnam to improve healthcare.