Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo (center) and other guests cut a ribbon to celebrate the opening of the Medical & Hospital Equipment Show (KIMES) 2018 at COEX, downtown Seoul, Thursday.

The Korea International Medical & Hospital Equipment Show (KIMES) 2018 kicked off for a four-day run in COEX, downtown Seoul, on Thursday.

Hosted by the Korea Medical Devices Industrial Cooperation Association (KMDICA), Korea Medical Industry Association (KMDIA) and Korea E&EX, the annual event meets its 34th-anniversary promoting public health and medical technology development as well as vitalizing medical and hospital-related industries.

Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo

“Korea stands in the middle of the rapidly changing Fourth Industrial Revolution. Starting with technological innovation, the ongoing trend is expected to lead to changes in the industrial scene and the way we live our lives,” Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said.

In particular, changes in the medical field are fast and innovative, while the introductions of state-of-the-art technologies such as artificial intelligence and robot 3D printers into medical devices are changing the medical paradigm, he said.

“In keeping up with the rapidly changing medical field, the ministry plans to launch an innovation center and provide one-stop support for discovering and establishing superior technologies,” Park added.

The ministry also plans to provide financial support for research and development (R&D) and change regulations to fit the industrial revolution.

“We plan to cooperate with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, and the Ministry of Science and ICT in carrying out a 3 trillion won ($2.81 billion) research and development project for the next seven years,” Park noted. “Also, to promote the advancement of medical devices into the market, regulations will change reasonably as well.”

The exhibition will attract 1,313 companies from 34 countries and exhibit more than 30,000 products, with major corporate participants such as GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, Samsung Medison and Philips participating in the fair.

Organizers expect more than 79,000 people will attend this year’s event, including medical professionals and officials representing domestic and international medical associations, who will also participate in seminars and conferences.

To help medical device exports, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) will hold a separate conference called the Global Medical Equipment Plaza (GMEP) alongside KIMES. The fair aims to link prospective buyers with innovative medical device manufacturers. KOTRA expects that over 225 domestic companies will have a chance to interact with 139 potential buyers from 65 countries.

Opening hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for both conventions. The exhibition will also be open on Saturday and Sunday for medical workers working outside of Seoul. Admission fee is 10,000 won.

corea022@docdocdoc.co.kr

<© Korea Biomedical Review, All rights reserved.>