Kangdong County Hospital in Pyongyang, which opened for business late last year, is getting positive reviews for facility quality, hygiene level and bedside manner. North Koreans hail the hospital as the first step in the country’s drive to build modern medical facilities throughout the nation.
“People who have visited Kangdong County Hospital say it’s distinctively different from the previous county hospital. Many people point to major changes in the overall medical environment,” a source in North Korea told Daily NK recently.
Individuals who were admitted to the hospital to be treated for influenza or pneumonia reportedly said the hospital facilities were much better than they used to be. The hospital wards, consultation rooms and examination rooms are neatly organized with a greater level of hygiene than in the past, hospital patients report.
Doctors and nurses are also given high marks for their bedside manner. When doctors make their rounds in the morning, their explanations of the progress of the disease and the course of treatment are reportedly more detailed than before.
North Koreans have long been distrustful of hospitals. For that reason, patients at Kangdong County Hospital have had their eye on the medical environment at the hospital and doctors’ basic approach to medical care.
“Patients say that consultation and testing cost less at Kangdong County Hospital than at other hospitals. If costs stay at their current level, people say, they won’t be too much of a burden,” the source also said.
Doubts remain about medication, specialized care
But doubts remain about the range of medications available at the hospital and doctors’ ability to perform specialized procedures.
“Many patients say that the medication dispensed at the hospital is fairly basic. So people are still supplementing the hospital’s prescriptions with medicine kept at home or purchased at the market,” the source said.
“Some think the actual standard of treatment is much the same. There’s still a sense that in the case of severe diseases, even the hospital can’t do much,” the source added.
The implication is that the new hospital still struggles with more complicated cases.
The source also observed that Kangdong County Hospital had not seen a major surge in patients since its opening.
“While it’s true that the hospital is getting more patients, for most medical conditions it’s still typical to self-medicate at home with drugs from the market,” the source said.
According to the source, locals only go to the hospital for serious conditions that require an operation. In the case of colds and other mild conditions, they generally make do with over-the-counter medications as they did in the past.
Will hospital usage increase going forward? “I think it will take a while before everybody visits the hospital on a regular basis,” the source said.
The source does not expect usage to go up until the hospital is better stocked with medicine and people have heard more stories about successful treatment outcomes.
Another source agreed with that assessment.
“While Kangdong County Hospital definitely looks different from before, it won’t be easy to restore confidence in medical services after so many years of mistrust. Whether we see a change in people’s behavior depends on how long the hospital can maintain its current level of service,” the source said.
“Many people take it for granted that you have to pay for medical services. The government has basically stopped talking about ‘free medical care,’ and there are sarcastic jokes about not remembering the last time medical care was provided for free,” the source said.
Daily NK reported late last year that while Kangdong County Hospital’s current operations are relatively stable, there is uncertainty about whether that level of stability is sustainable.
Reporting from inside North Korea
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