It is an age-long desire of mankind to enjoy a long, healthy life in an ideal society where there is no subordination and subjugation.
Such a desire is being interpreted into reality of socialist Korea, the only land where the section doctor system is materialized.
At present everybody’s health is well protected in the DPRK under the responsible and systematic assistance of doctors in charge thanks to the section doctor system.
The system adopted in the DPRK is the popular healthcare system for the inhabitants that the doctors in charge of certain districts conduct preventive and curative activities and the advantageous medical service system true to the requirement of the socialist preventive medicine.
Section doctor system in which the doctors are in charge of a certain number of households is combined with workplace or pit doctor system favorable to the local areas.
The development process of the system in the DPRK could be divided in t
The first stage covers the period before the establis
Under the wise leadership of President Kim Il Sung, in the peaceful construction period after its liberation, the DPRK has already effected the policy of adopting section doctor system and ensured that not only the doctors but nurses, pharmacists and all medical workers were in charge of certain sections and provided primary medical services stressing on hygienic propaganda and hygienic and anti-epidemic work as the initiative.
This working method, in which the doctors visit residential areas to intensify the hygienic propaganda and hygienic and anti-epidemic work for preventing diseases and cure the diseases once caused, brought about betterment to the work of medical institutions as regards the preventive medicine because it said good-bye to the old method which mainly attached importance to the curing of the patients who visit hospital.
The second stage covers the period after the establis
The DPRK successfully finished the socialist transformation of its private doctors in 1958, ensuring the dominant network of medical services which are of socialist ownership.
This was a historic event meaning that the DPRK put an end once and for all to the evil of old societies where the man’s life and health are decided by money and established the socialist public health system in which all the public health institutions and health workers serve the people’s health.
The DPRK with its state investment and social movement took measures to increase public health facilities at the lowest level like county people’s hospital and rural clinic and solidify the role of special wards and departments in the sectors of pediatrics and obstetrics, thereby providing the conditions whic
It also trained and posted a number of health workers required by the introduction of the system.
Accordingly, the 4th Conference of the Workers’ Party of Korea set task to introduce the section doctor system.
The third stage developed the section doctor system into the household doctor system.
The 13th plenary meeting of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea held in March, 1988 set forth the policy of gradually developing the section doctor system into the 20-household doctor system, 10-household doctor system and even to 5-household doctor system with the increase of the number of doctors, thereby enhancing the level of medical service.
According to this, the section doctor system was intensified.
The cities and seats of counties organized household departments in the city, county or district people’s hospitals, polyclinics and clinics in conformity with the characteristics of the areas, ensuring that the doctors in charge of certain number of households conducted preventive and curative works and healthcare service.
In the industrial areas, household doctor system is combined with the workplace or pit doctor system according to the concrete conditions of the enterprises and districts. And subcounty people’s hospitals and clinics in rural areas made sure that the doctors took charge of certain number of households, doing their work of special department.
It made sure that the medical institutions equally took charge of households on the basis of the administrative district units (dong, ri, neighborhood unit).
It was defined by the Socialist Constitution of the DPRK that the state would consolidate and develop its system of overall free medical care service and solidify its section doctor system and preventive medical system, thereby protecting the people’s lives and promoting the health of the working masses.
This is a firm determination of our Party to develop the section doctor system as well as the system of overall free medical care system and preventive medical system as its popular policy on public health.
The section doctor system is the advantageous healthcare system which can be available only in socialist Korea where the people are masters of everything and everything serves them.
Its advantages, first, is that it is the most popular healthcare system which systemized that the state would entirely take charge of the health of all people and look after them.
All residents in the DPRK wherever they live or work are provided with the responsible and systematic healthcare of the doctors in charge.
Secondly it is the popular healthcare system for the inhabitants that accords to the intrinsic demand of the preventive medicine.
The section doctor system forms the important content of the prophylactic system and the main point of the activities of the doctors in charge is prophylactic activity.
The doctors in charge should specifically research the sanitary and health status of their households and systematically conduct the work of hygienic propaganda according to the actual situation.
They should vaccinate in time every person of the households in charge and improve their health by the preventive medical service.
The doctors visit in time the households under their charge in a responsible way, while quickly receiving the patients visiting hospitals and giving them treatment needed.
By properly conducting medical inspection on working ability, they make sure that the people are correctly provided with the benefits from social insurance needed.
The section doctor system enables people to enjoy the benefit from the perfect system of overall free medical care at the nearest place mostly conveniently.
Thirdly, it is the most solid and developed healthcare system for the residents which thoroughly guarantees the people’s health by enhancing the responsibility and role of the doctors in charge.
By adopting the WPK’s policy that the doctors’ devotion is the attribute as well as life and soul of socialist healthcare into their practical activities, the doctors in charge are giving full play to their devotion and responsibility in improving the people’s health.
The section doctor system of the DPRK improves the health of the people, thereby enabling them to positively contribute to the building of a thriving socialist power in good health.
