영유아·임산부 건강 분야 국제지식공유사업 모형 개발 및 실행 방안

Abstract

This study explores the international knowledge-sharing collaboration between Korea and Mongolia in the field of maternal and child health, with a focus on strengthening Mongolia’s maternal and child health capacity and establishing a sustainable ecosystem for knowledge sharing. Leveraging Korea’s advanced experiences and policies in supporting mothers and infants, the project aims to contribute to improving the health and well-being of women and children in Mongolia, while concurrently creating export opportunities for Korean childcare-related products and services.

Mongolia was selected as a partner country due to its significant challenges in healthcare and socio-economic disparities. The nation faces a public health infrastructure deficit characterized by lower nurse-to-population ratios compared to OECD countries and limited access to quality maternal and child healthcare services. These factors are compounded by income inequality and uneven distribution of healthcare resources. The Mongolian government has adopted the “Maternal and Reproductive Health National Program,” which outlines key goals in improving healthcare access, quality, health education, and monitoring systems specific to mothers and young children.

The study employed a multidisciplinary approach encompassing policy analysis, field surveys including in-depth interviews with Mongolian mothers, and cooperation with local institutions such as the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences and district offices. The needs assessment revealed critical demands for postpartum care support, maternal psychological support, newborn care education, public postpartum care infrastructure, enhanced cash support policies for mothers and infants, and systems targeting high-risk pregnancies and children with rare diseases.

In response, a comprehensive knowledge-sharing model was developed. It considers not only the transfer of technical know-how but also aligns strategies with Mongolia’s institutional framework, cultural context, and infrastructure capabilities, ensuring high applicability and sustainability. Key components of the model include:

- Development of manuals and educational materials for training maternal and newborn health managers, adapted from Korean standards and localized Mongolian health documents.

- Capacity building through three rounds of postpartum care policy consulting sessions involving Mongolian obstetricians, policymakers, and health personnel. These sessions introduced Korea’s legal systems, operational frameworks for postpartum care, voucher-based service delivery, quality assurance mechanisms, and educational curricula for health managers.

-Establishment of cooperative networks among Korean and Mongolian stakeholders to facilitate ongoing knowledge exchange and program evaluation.

- Organization of international seminars and business expos aimed at linking Korean childcare product manufacturers with the Mongolian market, fostering export opportunities. The two-day expo attracted approximately 1,520 visitors and generated sales valued around 20 USD (approximately 280 million KRW), showing promising market interest.

-Formulation of future plans to develop public postpartum care center support, postpartum depression support systems, infant care support policies, and integration of data and AI technologies into knowledge-sharing programs.

The implementation underscored the importance of contextualizing knowledge-sharing initiatives within local health systems and culture, as well as securing human resources and institutional support for sustainable development. The case further demonstrated that knowledge-sharing could extend beyond technical assistance to include economic cooperation through product and service export integration.

Although the collaboration achieved notable strides in policy exchange and market linkage, challenges remain, including expanding linkages to domestic companies for developing childcare products and ensuring long-term operational sustainability of postnatal care workforce training. Policymakers are encouraged to continue fostering multi-sector partnerships, enhance data-driven program development, and devise frameworks that support continuous monitoring, evaluation, and policy feedback loops.

In conclusion, this international knowledge-sharing project serves as a valuable model for development cooperation in maternal and child health. It highlights how tailored, culturally sensitive knowledge transfer combined with economic collaboration can improve health outcomes in partner countries while creating export avenues for home-country industries. Future directions will focus on refining program components based on monitoring results and exploring innovative technologies such as AI to further enhance maternal and infant care services in Mongolia.