There is a well-known hospital in Jangwol-ri, Junghwa County, North Hwanghae Province.

Called Ryongsan-ri People’s Hospital in Junghwa County in the past, the health centre is so good at the treatment of refractory diseases that it is even recognized by the World Health Organization. The credit goes to Choe Sun Ok, who has headed the hospital for decades.

In October 2015, the participants in the WHO Southeast Asia regional workshop on traditional medicine visited the hospital.

They came to see a girl roller-skating around and singing at the yard of the hospital, and were told that the girl had suffered from polio for 12 years, reluctant to go outside because of her speaking and mobility disabilities. She was cured by medical workers at the hospital.

Admiring the way the ordinary health workers at the rural hospital had cured the girl, they gave the thumbs up and lavished praise on the Korean traditional medicine, saying they had never seen such a fine and clean hospital though they had visited many hospitals in different countries.

In October the following year the director general of the WHO paid a visit to the hospital. She found that the competent head of the hospital was a graduate from Pyongyang University of Medical Sciences, and asked the latter what made her choose to work at the rural hospital and if she earned more wage than her peers in the city.

Choe Sun Ok said she would like to take care of the rural villagers following in the footsteps of her father, explaining about the people-oriented socialist healthcare system and the section doctor system and about their advantages and vitality.

Over the past four decades she has thrown herself into preparing herself to be more devoted to patients before acquiring medical skills. She combined modern medicine with traditional Koryo medicine to create original therapies, curing patients of all sorts from across the country who were suffering from children’s cerebral palsy, cerebral haemorrhage and thrombosis, high blood pressure, diabetes and meningitis sequelae. In the period, the child death rate dropped to zero in the village, with the rate of referring patients to upper-level hospitals and the rate of death by diseases falling drastically.

A few years ago she published a valuable study paper “Diagnostic kit for detecting toxoplasma” to get a master’s degree. Another paper of hers “Acupuncture and moxibustion for the cerebral nerve system” was placed on the national intangible cultural heritage list.

Choe was honoured to become a meritorious person of socialist patriotism, merited doctor and established doctor in recognition of her devotion to the health promotion of the people and development of Koryo medicine. She was also invited to the 5th Conference of the Frontrunners in the Three Revolutions, the celebrations of the 70th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and other national events.

She still commits herself to her duty as a health worker responsible for the people’s health.

Ko Jin Chol