top of page
Search

Healthcare in North Korea

  • Dec 12, 2024
  • 2 min read

By: Madeline Choi



Healthcare in North Korea is amongst one of the worst in the world, with the state of North Korean healthcare and hospitals being poor and thinly managed. Hygiene is extremely poor in hospitals and anesthetics are oftentimes either unavailable or avoided due to its high costs. Since medical tools and supplies are so scarce, medical tools, such as scalpels, are often reused and repurposed. Along with old supplies, medical chemicals are often outdated and expired, with most of the country's supplies being donated from Russia and China. Most hospitals in the country have no access to electricity and heating and hospitals and medical centers struggle with power shortages and outages and doctors often have to rely on small handheld flashlights and dim lamps for light during surgery. 


Though it is claimed by the North Korean government that its healthcare system and facilities are free, that is far from the truth and this luxury is only available to the country's elites and upper class. Patients are oftentimes forced to pay for their medical procedures, either through cash or goods such as cigarettes and food. North Korea does receive medical aid from other countries, however, this aid is held at the hands of the upper elite who either keep them for personal use or resell them at a higher price and this aid does not make it to the general public. According to the World Health Organization, “North Korea [spends] less on healthcare than any other country in the world”, with an average spending of “under $1 (USD) per person per year in total”. 


Due to the unreliable, corrupt and unhygienic nature, and expensive costs of government run hospitals in North Korea, civilians often turn to seeking medical advice from peers and street vendors to avoid hospitals altogether. Furthermore, many civilians go to illegally run doctors who work out of their homes. According to the Borgen Project, “these doctors provide resources, expertise, and convenience not found in government hospitals”. 


Coupled with the country's high rates of malnutrition and poor living conditions, and the North Korean government’s inability to feed its general population, this absence of adequate medical care is dire. Due to the scarce food and water in the country, people often resort to eating foods such as tree bark, wild plants, and stagnant pond water, which are often unsafe to eat and riddled with disease and bacteria. 




Works Cited

Sources 




 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page