Gangnam JS Hospital (Chief Director Song Joon-seop) announced that it successfully completed a medical tour for foreign patients in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with an international healthcare team on October 18. This medical tour was organized at the invitation of the patient side to check the post-operative progress of the family of the chairman of Uzbekistan's state-owned gas company, who underwent knee cartilage regeneration surgery using umbilical cord blood stem cells at Gangnam JS Hospital last June.

On this day, the hospital's medical staff conducted consultations on the surgical progress of existing patients and provided medical services to nine new patients. Among them, three individuals, including the chairman of a large distribution company, are scheduled to visit Korea within the year to undergo surgery for arthritis treatment.

The chairman of the state-owned gas company expressed gratitude, stating, “When my wife had surgery in Korea and the medical staff said they would visit Uzbekistan, I was skeptical. However, seeing them visit our family and provide sincere aftercare, taking care of everything, I felt that Gangnam JS Hospital is now part of our family.”

During this medical tour, the medical staff provided not only medical consultations and progress observations but also detailed opinions on future treatment methods and rehabilitation strategies. This served as an opportunity to further strengthen the trust Gangnam JS Hospital has built in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region. A hospital representative stated, “We will continue to promote the excellence of Korean medical services and the unique technology of Gangnam JS Hospital worldwide through patient-centered personalized medical services.”

Gangnam JS Hospital is already gaining global attention in the field of stem cell cartilage regeneration. Notably, in 2014, when former South Korean national football team coach Guus Hiddink, who suffered from chronic knee pain, underwent umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation at Gangnam JS Hospital, the hospital gained worldwide attention. Within a year, the cartilage in Hiddink's knee was fully regenerated, allowing him to play tennis, and he mentioned, “Having knee surgery in Korea was one of the blessings of my life.” To this day, former coach Hiddink visits Korea annually for check-ups, maintaining a friendship with the medical staff.

Gangnam JS Hospital's umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation involves removing worn cartilage, creating micro-holes in the bone, and injecting stem cell treatment to induce the patient's cells to differentiate into cartilage. As this is a 'self-regeneration' process rather than using external cells, there are almost no side effects, and most patients can engage in sports activities post-surgery. According to the International Journal of Sports Medicine, while only about 30% of artificial joint surgery patients can resume exercise post-surgery, nearly 100% of stem cell cartilage regeneration patients can return to normal activities, highlighting a significant distinction.

The hospital has performed over 3,000 stem cell cartilage regeneration surgeries to date, and it has tracked and published data from over 300 cases in international journals over four years, securing medical evidence. Gangnam JS Hospital plans to expand its medical network beyond the CIS region to Southeast Asia and other areas.

Kim Na-min, Director of Gangnam JS Hospital, stated, “Seeing the patients we first met in the CIS region recover their health post-surgery is very rewarding,” and emphasized, “We will continue to strive to become an internationally trusted hospital for global patients with excellent medical technology and warm care under the slogan ‘Korean Medical Services to the World.’”

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