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The Korean Medical Center (KMC) has celebrated its second anniversary in Qatar, highlighting two years of growth, innovation, and partnership in support of the country’s long-term healthcare vision. The anniversary event brought together representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, healthcare leaders, partners, members of the Korean community, and media, reflecting KMC’s expanding role in Qatar’s health ecosystem. Since opening its doors in Lusail, KMC has delivered more than 100,000 services, including consultations, procedures, and diagnostic tests.These services span advanced diagnostics, including comprehensive executive health screening and early disease detection; spine and joint care, including sports-related medicine; fertility, including a dedicated IVF center; plastic surgery, dermatology and aesthetics; dentistry; and Korean medicine, all under one roof and in partnership with leading Korean healthcare providers such as Asan Medical Center, JK Plastic Surgery Center, EHL Biotechnology Institute, and GC Genome.  This model is rooted in the Korean philosophy of balance, prevention, and enhancing long-term quality of life. Alex Jankuloski, Hospital Director of the Korean Medical Center, commented:“Over the past two years, we have been privileged to serve patients in Qatar and the region, where healthcare is held to a very high standard. Backed by Korean expertise, our focus has always been on making a real difference in people’s lives through care that patients can trust. As the first gateway to Korean healthcare in Qatar and the region, we are proud of what we have built so far and look forward to continuing this journey, closer to home.” KMC was established with a model that treats the person rather than the symptom, integrating medicine, beauty, and wellness along a single continuum of care. Patients can move seamlessly between executive screening, joint and mobility care, Korean medicine, dental and aesthetic services, and family health within one coordinated plan, reflecting a broader shift towards proactive, preventive care in line with the country’s focus on managing non-communicable diseases. “From day one, our ambition was to build a healthcare institution that meets the highest international standards while being deeply rooted in Qatar’s own vision for health and wellbeing,” added Dr. Fatih Mehmet Gul, CEO of Apex Health in Qatar. “Two years on, that commitment has not changed. We will continue to invest in clinical excellence, deepen our roots in Qatar, and work with national partners to support the country’s priorities in prevention, early detection and long-term wellbeing. At the same time, we are building KMC into a destination for authentic Korean care across the wider region, giving patients throughout the GCC access to expertise and treatments that would otherwise require travelling to Korea.” Over the past two years, a significant proportion of KMC’s executive health screenings have resulted in clinical findings that patients were not previously aware of, underscoring the importance of early detection as a contribution to public health. The center has also introduced several services that were previously difficult to access locally for the wider public, including licensed stem cell therapy for joints, advanced Korean plastic surgery and aesthetics, and AI-driven dental solutions. Together, these offerings position KMC as a reference point for authentic Korean care in Qatar and a growing destination for patients across the GCC seeking specialised Korean treatments closer to home. KMC’s model is anchored by strategic partnerships with four of South Korea’s leading institutions: Asan Medical Center, JK Plastic Surgery Center, EHL Biotechnology Institute, and GC Genome. These partnerships ensure that the standards, protocols and technologies in Lusail remain closely aligned with the latest developments in Seoul, while being adapted to the needs of patients in Qatar. The Korean Medical Center operates under Apex Health, the fastest-growing healthcare company in the Middle East and North Africa region. Apex Health manages a network of leading healthcare institutions dedicated to delivering advanced medical services in line with the highest standards, with a strong focus on quality of care and patient experience in Qatar and across the region. 

Lulwa al-Marri, the first Qatari woman to complete a full Ironman, has come back from a knee injury with a blend of modern medical precision with holistic, patient-centred recovery at the Korean Medical Center (KMC).A triathlete, cyclist, mountaineer, and presenter, Lulwa is no stranger to high performance. But when a knee injury abruptly pulled her out of training, she found herself confronting a different kind of endurance; the kind it takes to heal.Rather than opt for surgery or sit on the sidelines, Lulwa turned to KMC in Lusail, where a comeback plan was devised through a science-based system that focused not just on pain relief, but also on restoring mobility and enhancing performance.Her journey began with a full-body scan on the Exbody system, an advanced Korean innovation that uses motion analysis technology to understand how muscles, joints, and body posture work together, a statement explained.“This machine doesn’t guess or estimate,” Lulwa explains. “It showed me exactly what was going wrong, even in places I couldn’t feel yet.”The Exbody report revealed muscle imbalances and poor load distribution, a chain reaction from her knee injury that even affected her spine and hips. Armed with data, the KMC team built a recovery plan tailored to Lulwa’s unique biomechanical needs.Lulwa’s treatment at KMC was a hybrid of clinical innovation and traditional Korean therapies: shockwave therapy, cryotherapy, ultrasound-guided manual therapy, dry cupping, and acupuncture.“My first cryotherapy session? Really, really cold,” she laughs. “But I came out feeling like my body had renewed vitality, and I got addicted to KMC’s cryotherapy machine, the biggest I’d seen in the country.”KMC’s approach is rooted in its belief that movement is freedom; a philosophy deeply embedded within its Mobility care unit, which encompasses orthopaedics, rehabilitation, and pain management.“For most patients, mobility is about daily function,” says Dr Louis Holtzhausen, sports and exercise medicine physician at KMC. “But for athletes like Lulwa, it’s about reclaiming performance. That means optimising, not just treating, how the body moves.”What makes KMC different, Lulwa says, is the loop between data and feeling. “We’d do another scan after a few weeks, and the progress was right there. I wasn’t just feeling better. I was seeing clear proof that I was regaining my strength.”Guiding her recovery was Dr Youngwoong Back, head of the Spine & Joint Center at KMC and an expert in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. His focus wasn’t just on the knee, but the kinetic chain.“An injury is rarely isolated,” Dr Back explains. “At KMC, we look at the body as an integrated system. We aim not only to restore range of motion, but to correct underlying patterns and prevent recurrence.”For Lulwa, this meant learning new movement strategies that would protect her joints under pressure, crucial for an athlete always preparing for her next race.Today, Lulwa is back in training, but with a new kind of awareness. Her recovery at KMC was restorative on a deeper level. “So often, women, especially female athletes, are told that our pain is just part of the game, or worse, that it’s in our heads,” she says.“We’re expected to push through, to stay quiet, to bounce back fast. But at KMC, my symptoms weren’t minimised, they were measured. My body was heard. Every imbalance was treated as real, and every treatment was backed by data.”For Lulwa, that level of validation was transformative. “This wasn’t about returning to where I was. It was about returning stronger, smarter, and with a deeper appreciation for how my body works.”Her message to other athletes, especially women navigating injury and uncertainty during their recovery, is clear: “You don’t have to suffer in silence or settle for guesswork. Pain is your body’s way of communicating, and you deserve a system that listens.”At KMC, she found that system, one that combined clinical rigour with deep human insight.