History of Love Permeated in Popular Public Health System

 2022.9.19.

http://www.mfa.gov.kp/view/article/15845

The glorious 70-year-plus history of our republic is permeated with warm love and devotion of the peerless great men who created and perfected popular public health system.

After the founding of the country, there were lots of things to do. But President Kim Il Sung, taking account of the status of people who had suffered from poverty and maladies and their pressing needs for healthcare, pushed ahead with the work to establish a democratic public health system without delay and apply popular public health policies.

Before liberation, there were only 9 state-run hospitals with 450 hospital beds and the total number of doctors amounted to only a few hundreds.

These scarce medical facilities were concentrated only in cities so that rural population could not have access to any medical care.

President Kim Il Sung put forward a revolutionary policy to establish a democratic public health system on September 1945 and clarified the main policies - the introduction of insurance system, expansion of state-run hospitals, extermination of epidemics and free medical care for the poor - that should be adopted to conform with genuine democratic public health system serving for people.

Then, he set up public health department within the North Korean Provisional People's Committee in February 1947, thus reinforcing the state guidance on public health services and establishing well-organized public health administrative structure covering provinces, cities and counties.

He consecutively enacted and promulgated new popular public health laws and regulations and increased state investment so as to build state public health facilities.

Thus, the number of state hospitals increased to 58 – more than 6 times that of the period before liberation (there were only 9 of them). First-aid stations were newly set up in the provincial seats and many state-run health establishments of different kinds were built throughout the country, including 2 quarantine hospitals.

In January 1953, in the middle of war, the universal free medical care system was introduced and the 7th Session of the Second Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK held in 1960 announced complete universal free medical care system. As a result, the new medical care system was introduced where household doctors provide medical service such as prophylactic treatment, hygienic propaganda and vaccination to the households in charge according to the section doctor system, regardless of distance, be it a remote mountain village or sea village.

Chairman Kim Jong Il consolidated and developed the vitality of the popular healthcare system which was established thanks to the wise leadership of President Kim Il Sung. He also saw to it that the Party’s policy on prophylactic medicine is thoroughly implemented and the medical service and medical science and technology are further developed.

Today, the socialist healthcare in our country has entered a new stage thanks to the excellent leadership of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

In recent years alone, Okryu Children's Hospital, Ryugyong Dental Hospital, Ryugyong General Ophthalmic Hospital, Medical Oxygen Factory, Pyongyang Dental Sanitary Goods Factory were newly built and a large number of medical facilities such as Myohyangsan Medical Appliances Factory and Pyongyang Pharmaceutical Factory were modernized, and the scope of application of the telemedicine system based on advanced science and technology is extending, making a big contribution to the promotion of people’s health.

The key to the successful control of infectious disease in only 90-odd days and favorable turn of events during the health crisis that broke out in last May owes its full credit to the sincere devotion and service of the respected comrade Kim Jong Un who puts the life and health of the people as the most important affair of state. The vitality and popular character of our public health system also contributed to the success.

Today, our people have heartfelt gratitude toward our country’s public health system which is engrained to them through their daily lives and they deeply love our social system.