Overview of healthcare system in North Korea.
10.5124/jkma.2013.56.5.358
- Author:
Mijin LEE
1
;
Hannah KIM
;
Danbi CHO
;
So Yoon KIM
Author Information
1. Asian Institute for Bioethics and Health Law, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. syoonkim@yuhs.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
National healthcare system of North Korea;
Free universal health coverage;
Physician system of independent geographic sectors;
Koryo medicine;
Four tiers of healthcare delivery system
- MeSH:
Clinical Medicine;
Collodion;
Delivery of Health Care;
Democratic People's Republic of Korea;
Health Resources;
Preventive Medicine
- From:Journal of the Korean Medical Association
2013;56(5):358-367
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
In this study, we analyzed the healthcare system of North Korea using Kleczkowski's model which categorizes national healthcare infrastructure into five components: health resources, organization, healthcare delivery system, economic support, and management. It was found that the healthcare system in North Korea, which provides clinical medicine, Koryo medicine and preventive medicine, is constituted of a physician system of independent geographic sectors and centralized delivery system while maintaining free universal health coverage. These systems are all managed by the government and the People's Committee Party. However, North Korea has been confronted with severe economic difficulties since the 1990s, such that we question whether the healthcare system has been able to function properly despite of the lack of resources in general throughout the country.
