This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/oct/08/north-korea-i-went-on-a-medical-mission-any-questions-for-me
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| I went on a medical mission to North Korea – any questions for me? | I went on a medical mission to North Korea – any questions for me? |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| 5.27pm BST17:27 | |
| Maeve Shearlaw | |
| Universal healthcare is one of North Korea’s founding promises. Whether or not citizens enjoy it depends on who you ask. | Universal healthcare is one of North Korea’s founding promises. Whether or not citizens enjoy it depends on who you ask. |
| When Kim Jong-un opened a new hospital in Pyongyang last year he boasted that the people would “live in luxury and comfort under socialism in good health”. Just last week he was spotted examining a shiny factory making medical supplies, and the Pyongyang maternity hospital is an attraction regularly shown to visiting foreigners. | When Kim Jong-un opened a new hospital in Pyongyang last year he boasted that the people would “live in luxury and comfort under socialism in good health”. Just last week he was spotted examining a shiny factory making medical supplies, and the Pyongyang maternity hospital is an attraction regularly shown to visiting foreigners. |
| But testimonies from North Koreans who have recently escaped paint a picture of a health system crippled by international sanctions. They say hospitals lack equipment, standards of treatment have plummeted and medical supplies are scarce, with people turning to crystal meth to numb the pain of their aliments. | But testimonies from North Koreans who have recently escaped paint a picture of a health system crippled by international sanctions. They say hospitals lack equipment, standards of treatment have plummeted and medical supplies are scarce, with people turning to crystal meth to numb the pain of their aliments. |
| Related: North Korean health system crumbling as shortages and sanctions bite | Related: North Korean health system crumbling as shortages and sanctions bite |
| One student doctor witnessed the reality first hand when he joined a medical mission to the country last year in which foreign medics worked with their North Korean counterparts. | One student doctor witnessed the reality first hand when he joined a medical mission to the country last year in which foreign medics worked with their North Korean counterparts. |
| Josiah Cha, a Korean-American whose grandparents escaped North Korea during the war, also observed a crumbling system but a committed group of staff doing their best for the patients. | Josiah Cha, a Korean-American whose grandparents escaped North Korea during the war, also observed a crumbling system but a committed group of staff doing their best for the patients. |
| Any questions? | Any questions? |
| As part of our three-day look at North Korea as it turn 70, Cha has agreed to answer your questions about the state of the country’s hospitals, and what that says about the health of the nation. | As part of our three-day look at North Korea as it turn 70, Cha has agreed to answer your questions about the state of the country’s hospitals, and what that says about the health of the nation. |
| Join him live today, 8 October, from 1-2pm BST, using the comments section below to post your questions. Alternatively you can tweet them at @GuardianNK or email maeve.shearlaw@theguardian.com. | Join him live today, 8 October, from 1-2pm BST, using the comments section below to post your questions. Alternatively you can tweet them at @GuardianNK or email maeve.shearlaw@theguardian.com. |