남북한 보건의료제도의 비교

A Comparative Study on the Health Care System of South and North Korea

This Study has attemped to compare the health care systems of South and North Korea. There has been a wide difference in the health care System between the South and North of Korea. In this paper, I have also shown that each health care system has its own unique response to the social, political, and economic conditions of the country. Therefore the author analyzed and summarized the important difference of health care system between the South and the North of Korea as follows. 1. Compared with the Laissez-faire health care system of South Korea, North Korea has the state socialistic health care system which provide health care services to the people free of charge. And the North Korea is marking positive efforts toward the scientification and systemization of Oriental Medicine which is called Dongui-Hak in the North-on the basis of Ju-Che idea. 2. North Korea's health care system appears to be strongly geared toward extensive and preventive treatment and launched the massive sanitary propagation campaign. which have resulted in a great success. North Korea has a system of universal comprehensive care for its population. The government has a central role in planning and regulating health care. 3. The government also employs physicians, nurses, and other professionals to provide health care to patients at public expense. In North Korea, health professionals are government employees. They work for a salary and the system is funded through general taxation. 4. In the North Korea, health services area system of the cities and countre's unit is strictly conducted along with the doctor's area responsibility system. And so without referal card, patients can not use the upper-grade medical facilities. The health care delivery system of North Korea is made up of the fourth level procedue unlike South Korea. 5. General office of Oriental Medicine, Academy of Oriental Medical Science and Guidance Bureau of Oriental Medicine are established in the organization of the Department of Health in the North Korea. And nowadays much emphasis are equally placed on the Oriental Medicine as well as Western Medicine. Both South and North Korea have faced with a critical moment of developing a mutually agreeable and acceptable system of health care for the unified nation.