"It Will Become the Mother Base for Healthcare Modernization"
Plans Under Consideration for Building a Second Pyongyang General Hospital
Pyongyang General Hospital, a long-cherished project of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, has been completed nearly five years after construction began.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on October 7, the completion ceremony for Pyongyang General Hospital was held on October 6, with Chairman Kim in attendance. Although Kim Jong Un attended the groundbreaking ceremony in March 2020 and ordered the hospital to be completed by October of that year, the project was delayed due to a shortage of materials and the COVID-19 pandemic occurring simultaneously.
In his speech at the ceremony, Chairman Kim expressed his deep emotion, saying, "This was truly one of the things I wanted to accomplish most, a project that has always held the top place in my heart." He also mentioned the lack of experience among the medical staff, stating, "It would be best to fully familiarize yourselves with the equipment and normalize operations starting in November."
He pointed out the physical and technological infrastructure of North Korea's healthcare sector, saying, "It is more vulnerable than any other sector, and among them, hospital facilities are particularly lagging behind." Referring to the proposed designs for doctors' and nurses' uniforms, he criticized, "It was astonishing. It looked as if sacks made of white cloth had just been thrown over them."
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un is pointing out the uniforms of the medical staff at Pyongyang General Hospital. Photo by Yonhap News Agency via Korean Central News Agency
Chairman Kim emphasized that "Pyongyang General Hospital is the first achievement and a major step in the reform of our lagging healthcare sector," and added, "It will serve as a powerful base leading the health revolution and as the 'mother base' for the modernization of healthcare." He also announced plans to pursue the construction of a "Second Pyongyang General Hospital."
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