Dong-A ST announced on May 28 that it is expanding its digital healthcare-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in medically underserved areas of Ethiopia.
The company’s phased CSR initiatives go beyond simple donations, incorporating local medical staff training and data-driven collaboration to enhance healthcare accessibility and disease management in the region.
In 2024, Dong-A ST began its support for digital healthcare in Ethiopia by donating the remote patient monitoring platform HiCardi to MCM Medical Center. HiCardi is designed to remotely monitor the condition of cardiovascular patients, improving patient management efficiency in an environment where medical personnel are scarce.
Last year, the company also contributed specialty pharmaceuticals to free clinics, further improving community healthcare access. This initiative included not only equipment and supplies but also training and operational support for local medical staff to enhance the platform's utilization.
This year, Dong-A ST donated an additional digital diagnostic solution, Dr.Noon. This AI-based software analyzes retinal blood vessel images to predict the risk of cardiovascular diseases, aiming to support early screening and risk management in areas lacking diagnostic infrastructure.
Dr.Noon is utilized to assess complications from chronic diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. The examination takes approximately three minutes, helping to reduce the workload on medical staff while facilitating early diagnosis and response.
In the field of cardiovascular diagnostics, Dr.Noon CVD is introduced as a solution to assist in patient screening, additional testing, and medication prescription decisions, offering accuracy comparable to coronary CT scans without radiation exposure.
Dong-A ST plans to expand remote technical support and data-driven collaboration starting in 2027. The company aims to strengthen local medical staff training programs and enhance solution performance using accumulated data.
The company's sincere CSR efforts have received positive feedback locally. Through collaboration with Seoul National University Hospital's Lee Jong-wook Global Center, sampling initiatives have been launched at Black Lion Hospital, the largest medical institution in Ethiopia.
A Dong-A ST representative stated, "Our goal is to enhance the self-reliance of local medical staff through continuous donations, education, and collaboration in medically underserved Ethiopia. We will gradually expand our digital healthcare-based CSR activities to contribute to the health rights of local patients."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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