(1888PressRelease)
April 16, 2007 - A lot of substantial measures are taken in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the sake of the people’s health improvement. Clear evidence is given by the construction and management of sanatoria in the country.
The first sanatorium was established in 1947, not long after Korea’s liberation. The country was short of any supply, owing to the 40-odd-year-long colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists.
There were mountains of things to do—factories and enterprises should be set up and dwelling houses be built—however, the state put a primary attention to the health service for the people.
The state had a survey team formed to prospect mineral water resources with an aim of building sanatoria on the likeliest places. The team discovered spas and mineral water springs in many parts of the country, and construction of sanatoria was pushed forward.
With the number of sanatoria increasing, the Ministry of Public Health formed a mineral water management bureau to be in charge of the survey team and sanatoria (the present bureau in charge of mineral water and sanatoria).
In the postwar days the country, though it was devastated by the Korean war (June 1950-July 1953), provided funds for the construction of sanatoria. In only a few years there appeared sanatoria rebuilt to their original states and new ones.
Thanks to the state measure, capable professional medical workers were appointed to every sanatorium, which was also furnished with facilities for medical treatment. All sanatoria in the country were developed into complexes of medical treatment and recuperation, provided with various kinds of medical apparatuses.
Considerable efforts have been put into the work to enhance the health service in the sanatoria, giving everybody medical treatment without inconvenience, and that war veterans and honoured disabled soldiers with priority. All the expenses for their medical treatment and travelling are borne by the state, as stipulated in the Public Health Law.
The state enforced popular policies without letup even in the periods of the “Arduous March” and the forced march, when the country suffered innumerable hardships owing to the constant manoeuvres of the US to isolate and stifle it and consecutive natural disasters.
It set up a system of providing the sanatoria with staple and nonstaple food, despite the country underwent food shortages, thus ensuring the ceaseless operation of the sanatoria.
Therefore, the Korean people could receive medical treatment in the sanatoria all across the country, such as the Kim Jong Suk Sanatorium, the Lake Sijung Sanatorium and so on.
Spa treatment in Korea attracts even foreigners for its high efficacy.
For instance, Jongdal Spa in Samchon County, South Hwanghae Province, is very famous for its special virtues for curing arthritis, neuralgia, gynaecological and other diseases. It is now frequented by foreigners for the medical treatment of the diseases they failed to cure by chemical medicines.
UNESCO donated modern facilities to the sanatorium several times, greatly contributing to the treatment there.
We will, in the future, conduct more substantially the survey and care of mineral water resources and the management of sanatoria to make the people benefit much more from the state public health policies.
By: Ri Pong Hun
