Korea, North

This country, located in north-east Asia, is officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The whole of the Korean peninsula was annexed by Japan in 1910, and then occupied by them until 1945. After Japan's defeat in World War II, the Soviet Union's army took control of the northern part of the peninsula, and the leader of the Korean Communist Party, Kim Il Sung, became head of state. Five years later, in 1950 the Korean War broke out, and although an armistice was agreed to in 1953, no peace treaty has ever been signed, resulting in tensions along the border.

Prior to 1945, the health care in the whole of the Korean peninsula was minimal except for the Japanese migrants and Korean elite who were treated in Japanese-run hospitals. Many people relied on herbal cures and some had access to hot springs which provided spa baths. After World War II, there were some improvements from 1945 until 1950, but during the Korean War, all of the cities in North Korea were destroyed in U.S. aerial bombing. From January 1953, with all health care services in the country being declared to be free to all, major efforts were made to rebuild the medical services. By the 1970s health services in North Korea were fairly good, run by the Academy of Medical Sciences, and were extolled heavily in government publications, although they declined owing to budgetary shortages in the early 1990's, and have undergone significant advances since then. In addition mention must be made of the famine of the early 1990's that caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, and put an enormous strain on the health services of the country.

In the public literature of the North Korean government, great emphasis is made on the public health service, with a range of methods of treatment, hospitals in Pyongyang, the capital, and other cities, with a large number of health complexes being built around the country, and heavy use still made of hot and cold mineral spas. Officially there were 2,700 hospitals in the country in 1996, although undoubtedly this figure includes small health centers and clinics. There are 16 medical research institutes located in the country, most being in Pyongyang, all affiliated with the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Most doctors are trained at the Pyongyang University of Medicine which teaches western medical techniques as well as utilizing elements from Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and Korean medicine, utilizing herbal cures and also elixirs some derived from antlers of deer. The Red Cross General Hospital of Korea appears to be the largest hospital in the country. It has an Ophthalmic section where doctors such as Dr. Kim Jong Ok, have treated up to 1,200 people suffering from blindness due to glaucoma.

The most publicized hospital in the country is the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, a large impressive medical facility in the eastern part of the capital. As well as being a hospital, it is also an obstetric research center and venue for training midwives. The building has a total floor space of 60,000 square meters, with over 2,000 rooms and was completed in March 1980. It has 1,000 beds for adults and 500 cots for babies. The hospital treats locals and also caters for the children of diplomats and other foreigners resident in Pyongyang. According to official literature, the hospital has a library of 100,000 books, a scientific photographic studio and an extensive quarantine system as well as a centralized oxygen supply system.

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