With its expertise in connecting people through telecommunications, connectivity has been at the core of other aspects of businesses promoted and operated by KT. 

A notable move is the healthcare sector, with KT taking its healthcare solutions to far-flung regions like Africa, Russia and Kazakhstan. 

By introducing connectivity between healthcare centers and remote regions, KT‘s healthcare solutions are aimed at bringing patients in rural areas into the mainstream healthcare system.

In May, KT introduced its KT Digital Healthcare Solution at the Transform Africa Summit 2017 held in Kigali, Rwanda. The exhibition followed an agreement signed with Kigali National University Hospital last July to pursue a pilot program that will create a foundation for KT’s healthcare business in Africa. 

The KT Digital Healthcare Solution offers four different mobile diagnostic devices that are all connected to a healthcare platform. Through the platform, information can be shared between village clinics, regional hospitals and the national hospital.

According to KT, the healthcare solution can allow early detection and response to major contagious diseases such as HIV and malaria, help to decrease child and maternal mortality rates, and improve management of chronic illnesses in remote areas.

The healthcare pilot follows KT‘s work building broadband and LTE networks in Rwanda. As of August, the LTE network had achieved 85 percent coverage and 50,000 users. 

In addition to Africa, KT is also taking its healthcare solutions to Russia and central Asia. In September, KT partnered with Pusan National University Hospital to sign an agreement for a pilot program in Russia. KT and PNUH installed mobile diagnostic equipment at the Far Eastern Federal University Hospital in Vladivostok that allows for quick diagnosis of cardiovascular illnesses, respiratory conditions, diabetes and prostate cancer using small amounts of blood and urine.

All of the diagnostic information is managed through KT’s digital healthcare platform. 

Most recently, KT has taken its mobile electronic medical record system to Kazakhstan. The company completed a training program at ten hospitals in the Almaty, Aktobe and eastern Kazakhstan areas in order to begin using the digital diagnostic program this month. 

KT said that it plans to set up a remote diagnosis system at two hub hospitals, Alfarabi KazNU Medical Center and Aktobe Medical Center, to allow for joint patient care with Pusan National University Hospital. 

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)