culture

In July when flood hit the DPRK, strong medical forces were sent to special-class disaster emergency areas to ensure the urgent supply of necessary medicines. Among the medical workers, who rapidly installed diagnosis and test facilities and gave medical service to the flood victims, were those from central-level hospitals like the Pyongyang University of Medical Sciences Hospital and the Kim Man Yu Hospital.

At that time, although the traffic condition was terrible, the health workers went to the areas far away from Pyongyang with a large quantity of medicines in order to give better medical assistance to residents, and conducted medical service activities as they gave residents health check-ups.

After arriving at the sites, they did health check-ups in a responsible manner and waged vigorous hygienic information activities to inform them of hygienic common knowledge and prevent diseases in cooperation with their counterparts in relevant areas.

“I was very frightened by a flood before giving childbirth. Just when I thought everything would be in a mess, doctors came to find us patients and I shed tears of gratitude,” said Ku Un Jong, a resident living in Minpho-dong in Sinuiju, North Phyongan Province.

Thanks to their efforts, all flood victims could maintain their health and more than 20 babies were safely born in the flood-hit areas in ten-odd days from July 28 when evacuation started.

When the global health crisis of COVID-19 had occurred, household doctors had visited each family in their charge every day and night to find out sick persons and those with abnormal symptoms and, when anyone was sick, they visited him or her at any time and devoted themselves to the treatment. And it was also medical workers who had worked at pharmacies and centres for telemedicine service round the clock.

At present, they are providing outreach medical services at the construction site of major projects, workshops and the sites for repairing flood damage.

Ri Kyong Suk, doctor of the Pyongyang University of Medical Sciences Hospital, said: “The people’s lives are regarded as the most important in our country. As engineers of human life, we, medical workers, are obliged to take care of the people’s health in a responsible manner and make them actually enjoy the benefits of the socialist public health system.”