Roundup: South Korea opens public medical data access centers and more briefs
Buzz News
South Korea designates 5 centers for public medical data analysis
South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has launched officially designated centers for secure medical data access.
The ministry has named five centers that are equipped with physical, technical and managerial safeguards to allow secure access of public medical and clinical data for research purposes.
These centers are the Korea Health and Medical Information Service in Seoul, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in Daegu, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital in Wonju, Chungnam National University Hospital in Chungnam, and the National Cancer Center (NCC) in Gyeonggi.
In addition, the ministry announced that the use of cancer data from the K-Cure project of NCC through data utilization centers will begin in June.
South Korea accelerates commercialization of VR therapy for visual impairment
The South Korean Ministry of Health recently designated a VR-based software therapy for visual impairment as an innovative medical device, expediting its approval process.
Developed by local digital therapeutics company Nunaps, Vivid Brain is the first South Korean DTX to be recognized for improving visual loss caused by brain damage. It provides visual perception training to enhance the plasticity of the brain, moving away from the usual sensory compensation and replacement techniques used to treat visual impairment.
South Korea has recently made changes to its approval process for novel medical devices to accelerate their use in clinical settings.
VIVID Brain is still undergoing proof-of-concept studies to gain clinical use clearance in South Korea.
Indonesia, Iran collaborate for telerobotic surgery
Indonesia and Iran have expanded their healthcare cooperation by launching a center for telerobotic surgery.
The two governments are testing the concept from 2021 at the Hassan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung and the Saradjitto Hospital in Yogyakarta. It aims to remove geographic barriers by allowing specialists to remotely provide their services to patients outside major cities and collaborate with fellow specialists overseas. It also seeks to reduce post-surgical complications and reduce the financial cost.