Photo courtesy AAHA
Ensuring pets around the globe receive top-notch veterinary care is the goal of a new American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) international partnership.
The organization has jointly announced with the Korean Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA) a licensing agreement to accredit veterinary clinics throughout South Korea.
“The signing of this agreement signifies a long-standing partnership between KVMA and AAHA—a commitment to work together and leverage our respective strengths,” says KVMA president, Dr. Ju Hyung Hur. “We are determined to create systemic change that will benefit not only the animals we care for, but the people and nature around us. It is a journey of continuous growth and transformation.”
Launched in 1948, KVMA was founded to support veterinary work, research, and dissemination of veterinary science, as well as to establish an ethical code as prescribed in its charter. According to the revision of the Veterinarians Act of Korean Law as of July 2011, all licensed veterinarians are automatically welcomed as members of KVMA.
Approximately 3.129 million households in South Korea (or 15 percent of all households) have animal companions, according to data from Statistics Korea. Dogs are more popular than cats, with a ratio of 3:1 (11.6 percent of households have dogs, while 3.4 percent have cats).
The country has approximately 5,100 veterinary clinics: 1,000 livestock and 4,100 which cater to companion animals.
“Our partnership is an opportunity to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and create best practices that will shape the future of veterinary care in South Korea,” says Garth Jordan, CEO of AAHA. “With 90 years of experience supporting animal hospital staff in the U.S. and Canada, we are confident the process of certification and adoption of standards will help South Korean veterinarians simplify the journey towards excellence in their practices.”