The Cheil General Hospital & Women’s Healthcare Center in Seoul will become the first South Korean hospital to export medical technology and systems related to infertility, officials said.

The hospital said that it had signed a business deal on June 3 with Al Garhoud Private Hospital -- the largest modernized hospital in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, founded in 2012 -- to open an infertility clinic there within this year.

Ahead of the signing, officials of Cheil Hospital met with Sami al-Qamzi, the director general of the Dubai Department of Economic Development and chairman of the Al Garhoud Hospital on June 1 and shared ways to expand cooperation and mutual benefits.

The signing was attended by Kim Tae-kyung, the vice president of Cheil General Hospital, and Dr. Ahmed Ghanem, CEO of Al Garhoud Hospital.

Based on the agreement, Cheil will provide technological support and dispatch necessary medical and research staff to establish and operate the infertility center.

Technologies to be transferred include preimplantation genetic diagnosis that is conducted to identify any genetic abnormality among genetic parents.

This is the first joint project pursued by South Korea and the UAE in the field of obstetric care. Some South Korean medical institutions have already set up operations there. They include two liaison offices to attract UAE patients to South Korea, one rehabilitation center, one neurosurgery facility and one general hospital.

“We have secured a bridgehead to spread the superiority of our infertility treatment technology to the Middle East and other parts of the world,” said Kim Tae-kyung, vice chief of Cheil hospital.

The hospital, launched in 1963, is the first medical institution in South Korea dedicated to women.

The hospital currently operates 16 departments and 32 specialized clinics including a state-of-the-art Mother and Baby Center, providing the country’s largest medical facility related to pregnancy, birth, infant care and obstetric ultrasonography.

It is particularly renowned for high-tech labs dedicated to research in endocrinology, genetics, and infertility.

Al Garhoud Hospital has been enjoying positive review since its opening, including receiving a certification from the U.S. Joint Commission International in 2013 for its ultramodern system and services. JCI is considered a leader in international health care accreditation, providing solutions to help heath care organizations worldwide improve their performance and outcome.

Kim said that they will continue to expand cooperation beyond infertility to all treatment targeting women, with wider exchanges in human resources and education to promote Korea’s advanced medical technology. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)